Nothing Like the Legend
by writing-at-random
Summary: After making an innocent wish on a shooting star, Jen gets plummeted back in time to Camelot where she encounters Merlin and the prat of a prince, Arthur. She must find a way to get back home while helping Merlin keep his magic secret. Arthur/OC
1. Day One

**A/N: This is a story that sort of just came to me and then I couldn't stop writing it, so I decided to post it. Please review and I'll write more for it!**

**p.s. I will be uploading the final chapter to A Fight From Chains very soon!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin and I will never own Merlin.**

It was getting dark outside of my dorm room. All my homework was finished and there was nothing left to do. Being bored I decided to pick up a book on Camelot. My mother used to tell me of the adventures of King Arthur and his loyal friend, Merlin. By the time I turned six I had made up my mind that I would travel to Europe in search of the Castle.

My idea was shot down when my father told me that Camelot is only fantasy and never existed. The stories had to be told to me when my dad wasn't in the room. He disagreed strongly with telling little kids fairytales. Dad made sure I read plenty of non-fiction.

I was halfway through the second chapter when that little voice in my head called my conscious said, "Go to the window." For some reason I obeyed it. I put my book down and headed for the window. Looking up at the twinkling night sky, I saw a shooting star pass by like a bullet.

"I wish I could go to Camelot." I whispered to myself. Just then the door came open behind me, making me jump.

"Hey, Jenny!" my roommate Sarah said. When I didn't look at her and kept staring at the sky, she got concerned. "Jen, you okay?"

"Huh, oh yeah I'm fine!" I reassured her. Before she could ask about anything I darted towards the bathroom. After my shower I changed into my purple tank-top and striped purple bottoms. I got into my bed and let the covers warm my shaky body.

Before long, the darkness took over. My dream was extremely strange and freakishly vivid. I was walking through a tunnel that kept changing colors with every step I took. Eventually the tunnel ended and I slept in peace for the rest of the night.

When I woke up my dorm no longer smelled like Febreze, but like medicine. Was Sarah sick? I sat up turning towards her bed only to find a window in its place. Why, I wasn't even in my dorm! This room had books all around it and was made of wood and stone. An old man was sitting in a chair. He had on some sort of blue robe.

"It's good to see you up. I was starting to worry." He said. The man got up and walked over to where I was sitting and handed me a bottle. "Here, drink this. Ignore the taste and smell." He ordered. I was a little hesitant about drinking the concoction, but I did as he said. Once I consumed the liquid I found that I felt much better.

"Thanks," I said simply handing him the bottle back. "Where am I?" The man seemed taken aback by my question.

"You're in Camelot, My Lady." The man informed me. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Yeah, sure I am!" I said sarcastically. The old man looked at me as if I was crazy. "Well I better go." I said pointing towards the door. I got up and opened it. There was a long, stone hallway with people walking in and out of it and into other rooms. The women were dressed in dresses and were carrying worn materials. Walking a bit farther, I found myself in a courtyard. Cottages and mini markets lined the streets. I walked back into the castle-yes, castle- and into the old man's room. "I'm in Camelot." I whispered. The man must have heard me.

"Yes," he shut the door. "You are!" He guided me to a chair. Then it hit me.

"Oh, my gosh I'm in Camelot!" I said smiling big. Right now it was happening! The dream I had always had was coming true. I knew who I had always wanted to meet, and if I really was in Camelot-take that dad- then he would be here.

"Are you alright?" the voice pulled me out of my thoughts. Looking closer at this man I realized that this is how I had always imagined the one I wanted to see; Merlin.

"Are you Merlin?" I asked confidently, knowing I was right.

"I'm afraid not. My name is Gaius. I'm the court physician." I frowned. "But I can get him for you." He said quickly. "Merlin?!" he called through a door on the other side of the room. There were footsteps and the door opened. I closed my eyes wondering if he was anything like the legend said.

"Yes?" a young voice said. I opened my eyes to see a young raven-haired boy with a brown jacket over a blue tunic and red neckerchief. Not exactly what I expected- at all!

"You're Merlin?" I asked skeptically. The man called Gaius could sense a privet conversation and left for water. "You're Merlin?" I asked again.

"Yes," he said with a slight smile. "And you are…?" he prompted.

"I'm Jen." We stood there awkwardly for a moment before I continued. "So you're the great magician." It wasn't a question. At this his eyes got as big as saucers.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Merlin lied. I took note that he was a bad liar.

"Of course you do." I said. "You're Merlin, the powerful warlock." He was getting nervous.

"You have the wrong person." He said quickly.

"Look, I know a lot about Camelot and I know that you're a warlock. Please tell me the truth, because if you say that you really aren't magical then I will feel really stupid." I paused for a breath. "If you tell me the truth then I will tell you my secret." I said trying to tempt him.

He sighed. "Yes I am, just please don't tell anyone!"

"It's Camelot; doesn't everyone already know that you're a wizard?" I asked. This Camelot didn't seem anything like the Camelot I knew. For starters Merlin was supposed to be old with a beard, not young and cute.

"They better not or I'm dead!" he saw the question in my expression. "King Uther hates magic. Everything and everyone that has to do with it gets killed." My eyes widened. "Where are you from exactly?"

"I thought Arthur was king." I stated a bit confused, ignoring his question.

"Not a chance!" he smirked. "Tell me your secret first."

"That's fair enough." I smiled back. "Last night I wished on a shooting star. I wanted to come to Camelot and meet Merlin and Arthur." He looked at me strange. "Anyway, I'm not going to beat around the bush, here. I'm not from this time. I'm from 2009 in the twenty-first century." I told him, thinking he would never believe me.

"That sounds mad." he said. "Maybe you should sit down." I rolled my eyes.

"Look, I can prove this to you!" I said a hint of a challenge in my voice. My mind flashed back to all my knowledge of Camelot and its people. I paused for another moment until it hit me. "There is a Lancelot here, and Guinevere, and Morgan le Fay!" I had the pleasure of watching his blue eyes grow huge and his mouth fall open slightly. I smiled with satisfaction. "You are the powerful wizard, Merlin and will help Arthur become king by being his trusty advisor! Although Arthur should already be king…"

Merlin gawked at me for a minute, taking everything in. His mouth would open and then close with no sound coming out. Then he cracked a smile. "Well, it sure would explain how you're dressed." He laughed.

I looked at what I was wearing. "Oh, I don't wear these out! These are just for bed, though the clothes I do wear would probably shock you." He gave me a 'why?' look. "Let's just say I wouldn't be caught dead in a dress." He laughed.

"I think you might need one to fit in here." He pointed out.

"Yeah, I kind of figured that." I said smugly. "This Camelot is so different than what we are told."

"How?"

"Well, Merlin is supposed to be old and Arthur is supposed to be king by age ten by pulling a sword out of a stone." Merlin gave me a questionable look. "At least that's what's in the legend."

"Sorry, but Arthur's twenty or so, the prince, and a prat!" We both laughed and told stories. I was extremely cautious of what I was telling him. I had watched enough TV and read enough books to know that if you're from the future- though I didn't even think it was possible to be- to not reveal too much of what you know will happen.

Merlin told me that when he first met Arthur he used magic to beat him at a fight. Now this I had to clutch my sides that I was laughing so hard. After he was finished telling his history in Camelot, I was shocked to see how Arthur didn't know his secret or how he even kept it from him!

"We need to go see if Gwen can lend you a dress!" Merlin remembered suddenly. He showed me the way and knocked on a wooden door. "Gwen, it is Merlin."

Someone opened the door. "Hello, Merlin." The woman I took for Gwen said. "Whose is this?"

"Jen, she needs to borrow a dress." He informed her.

"Yes, of course." She led us in and took a few measurements. "I have just the thing." She smiled and walked out to go get it.

I turned to Merlin. "I just met Guinevere!" I said laughing like a little girl. He seemed puzzled but laughed anyway, probably at me.

Gwen returned with a green dress that was simply beautiful. She helped me change into it and we thanked her for the dress. Gwen bundled my pajamas up in a bag and stored it in a cupboard.

"Merlin, aren't you supposed to be with Arthur?" Gwen asked.

The boy jumped up. "Yeah, I forgot." Merlin headed for the door.

"Can I come?" I asked quickly. Merlin nodded smiling and I walked over to him. He led the way to Arthur's chambers. Merlin opened the door for me. "Chivalry isn't dead!" I said happily and thanked him. He gave me a strange look but let it pass… for now.

"Ever hear of knocking, Merlin?" a voice asked. I looked up to see a handsome blond boy that I took to be Arthur. I glanced at Merlin to see if I should curtsy or something. He didn't bow or anything so I didn't do anything either.

"I was helping my…" he paused and looked at me. "Cousin?" I nodded. It was fine by me, being known as Merlin's cousin. I could live with that! This made Arthur turn around.

"Your cousin?" he asked. I nodded again. "Well it's a pleasure to meet you…?"

"Jen," I told him.

"Jen," he repeated with a small smile. He turned back to Merlin. "You need to polish my armor, and don't worry about my breakfast. Another servant already brought it since you were later _again_." Merlin nodded and started to polish a metal plate.

"Merlin's right, you are a prat." I mumbled under my breath. Arthur turned to me not hearing what I just said.

"Where are you from, Jen?" he asked.

"Um," I can't exactly say America! "I'm from a town called Hogsmeade." Yes it's Harry Potter but it was the only thing I could think of on the spot. I saw Merlin mouth 'Hogsmeade?'

"I've never heard of it." The prince stated.

"Just because you've never heard of it doesn't mean it doesn't exist." I told him with a halfhearted smile.

"You're right." He said going all prince-like.

"Yes I am." I said confidently receiving a smile from Merlin. The prince sighed and came to sit down next to me on a wooden chair. For some reason, the butterflies in my stomach came to life.

Just as Arthur was about to turn to me, a guard came in the room. "Prince Arthur, your father would like a word." Arthur rolled his eyes and thanked the guard before he left.

Arthur stood up. "If you'll excuse me, I have to go to an oncoming fight with my father." He said smugly. Arthur reached for my hand and placed a single kiss on it. My cheeks burned red. Right when he was at the door he gave me a quick smile before descending down the long staircase.

"I think he has a soft spot for you, Jen." Merlin's voice brought me back. The warlock gave me an all-knowing smile. "He's never like that with anyone."

Blushing, I said, "No way! Besides, I know who he's going to marry." For some reason this came out sad. I was being ridiculous! "Unfortunately," I added to myself. My head turned back towards the door; half hoping that Merlin was right about Arthur.

"You do? Who is it?"

"Never in a million years!" I shot at him with a dorky smile. "I don't want to risk changing the future. My birth could never happen if Camelot changed." I knew that that statement was going a little too far, but hey. Why not milk my excuses a bit?

"So telling me the name of Arthur's wife will cause you to never be born?" he asked skeptically. Okay, it sounded even crazier coming from the greatest warlock ever.

"Yeah, good point, but I'm still not telling you." He frowned and continued to polish the armor. "I will tell you that you will grow to be the best known wizard ever." I said quickly. "Maybe you're even more popular than Harry Potter!" I joked.

"I don't know who that is." He stated. "So there are sorcerers in your time?" Merlin asked. This made me freeze. I couldn't bear to break this Merlin's hopes! How would he react when I told him no? I was always a horrid liar and I knew my eyes would deceive me.

"I honestly don't know, Merlin. If there are, then no one knows about them. Magic is just something that little kids believe in, like fairytales." I offered. Merlin nodded solemnly. "But, I believe that there still is magic. I always have. If it wasn't for you then I would simply say that magic is simply a part of a toddler's imagination."

He looked up at me and smiled. "Thanks. You know, I'm glad I met you."

"I'm glad I met you, too! I'm also glad that my dad wasn't right."

"What do you mean?"

"You know how I said Camelot was a legend?" he nodded. "Well, my mom taught me all about it, but my dad kept saying she was teaching me crap that would never help me in life." I explained.

"I guess it does come in handy now." He said. I sat down and grabbed a piece of armor and looked at it like Merlin would look at a cell phone. "It won't hurt you." Merlin joked. I grimaced at him.

"Do you ever use magic to do your chores?" I asked.

"Of course I do. That's just between you and me. If Gaius found out…"

"You're screwed?" We laughed for a bit and I was taught how to polish armor. It was a very strange thing to do when we could just use a buffer back home. Oh gosh, home. I wanted to go back so badly, but I also wanted to stay. What would Sarah think when she woke up and I was gone? By the time I got back everyone would think I was dead or kidnapped.

"Jen?" his voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

"Oh sorry, I was just thinking."

"About what?" he asked.

"It's nothing, I was just thinking about home." I explained. Merlin nodded and pulled me into an awkward hug. I smiled brightly at him. "I like it here. It's nice and chivalry is very much alive!"

"So, chivalry is 'dead' as you put it?" he asked curiously.

"Yep, it's the sad truth!" I decided to change the subject. "I feel so useless here and I feel bad that I can't tell you stuff, partly because this Camelot is so different!" I complained, but I really kind of liked this Camelot a little bit more than the version I read about, for one, Prince Arthur…

"You know what you could do?" Merlin said as he turned back to his armor. "You could write down what happens while you're here. Make your own legend, you know?"

"That's not a bad idea." I said nodding with a smile. "I can see it now! The True Story of Camelot by Jennifer Coldwell on the New York Times bestseller list!" To make it more dramatic I added my hands and stared off into space picturing it.

Merlin looked to where I was staring and saw nothing. "Are you feeling alright?" Merlin asked looking at me like I was crazy. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Just fine, thank you." I said sarcastically. Looking down at the armor laid before us, I saw that Merlin was on his fifth piece whilst I wasn't even done with my first! "Dude, did I really zone out that long?"

"I didn't understand one word of that." Merlin said to me with a dorky smile.

"Okay, sixth century translation: 'Dang, Merlin, did I really daydream that long?'" Merlin nodded and chuckled.

"Now, that I got!" I rolled my eyes. "And not really, I've just been doing this longer." He paused. "Do you even have armor in the twenty-first century?"

"In Hollywood we do!" I said a little too chipper.

"What, is that a village?" Merlin asked a little confused.

"I suppose you could say that, but it's very famous!" I could have told him more, but I wasn't in the mood to explain.

He nodded, starting to get it... maybe. I saw a sword at the other end of the room. Getting up, I slowly made my way to the legendary sword. I turned to face Merlin.

"Excalibur?" I asked whilst picking it up.

"No, it's a sword. It doesn't have a name."

"Huh, that's weird. Does Arthur have a round table?"

"No." It was obvious that Merlin was starting to think I was insane. Oh well, better to be thought insane than to be accused of magic while this Uther guy was the king of Camelot!

**A/N: I think it might be corny, but oh well. Please review if you would like more of the story!!! It means the world to me!!!!**

**xoxoxoxo**


	2. Romeo and Juliet

**A/N: Hehe! The next chapter has arrived. I'm really enjoying writing this and all the reviews just make me want to keep writing! :) If I don't post again until after the holidays, then happy Thanksgiving! If you don't celebrate Thanksgiving, then happy November 26****th****! I'm going to be so busy with the pies and turkey and family birthdays… (And the list continues)…**

**Disclaimer: Merlin isn't mine and neither is anything else that's in here. I only own Jennifer Coldwell!!**

It was about half past noon before Prince Arthur returned. Merlin and I were almost finished cleaning his room. (We had to stop with the magic early because Uther was having the guards give a sweep of the castle.)

"Are you cheating there, Merlin?" he asked. Merlin cocked his head like a puppy. Arthur rolled his eyes. "Jen shouldn't be doing this."

"Oh, I don't mind." I said with a smile. He flashed me a beautiful smile in return and I couldn't help but blush bright red. Arthur chuckled quietly at my embarrassing reaction. Great, I even embarrass myself in front of _the_ King-or prince- Arthur. "Is there…a… anything else we can do?"

"Actually, Merlin can go muck out my horses, while I go train my knights." Arthur said directly to his servant. The young warlock groaned at the thought of horse poop. I couldn't help but giggle, gaining a smile and wink from Arthur.

"Well, we better get going then." Merlin said taking my wrist. Normally I would be mad at anyone who took me away from this moment Arthur and I were sharing, but I'm finding it hard to ever be mad at this sweet, _young_, Merlin.

"Fine." I grumbled as he dragged me away from this beautiful guy. Quickly, I chanced a glance back at Arthur. He was staring at me and I gave a small, flirty wave goodbye.

We got to the stables and I watched Merlin use the shovel to scoop up the fly infested poop. I offered to help, but Merlin refused my offer instantly. Something about a girl shouldn't be doing this or something like that.

I told Merlin that I was going to walk around so I could stretch my legs a little. The real reason was because I couldn't stand the stench that was intoxicating my nostrils anymore! I couldn't help but feel pity for the warlock.

As I walked, I made sure I didn't stray too far from the stables in case he was in any need of my assistance. I heard clashing and clanging of metal and chose to check it out. What I saw amazed me!

There were actual knights in shining armor sword fighting! This seemed so much like the dreams that I had had before, the only difference was that this was definitely NOT a dream. They continued fighting and I noticed some were training to a numbered routine of '1, 2, 3, 4…' and so on. Each number was a different position. This fascinated me to no end. It didn't take me long to realize that the one who was shouting the numbers was the one and only Arthur!

A knight that had just gotten finished fighting saw me and walked over to where I was standing. "My Lady," he said as he kissed me hand. It seems that I've been called that many times. "I am Sir Gareth, knight of Camelot." He said introducing himself. I vaguely recall his name being one of the Knights of the Round Table. Perhaps I was mistaken.

"I'm Jen." I informed him.

"It's a pleasure and an honor to make your acquaintance, My Lady." He bowed slightly.

"As is yours," I had always wanted to talk like that, but no one did anymore… or will… oh whatever! I suck at tenses.

Sir Gareth was about to ask another question when Arthur came over, looking a little jealous for reasons I suspected. He took his glistening helmet off to reveal his beautiful blond hair and blue eyes. "Gareth, why don't you go train a bit more? You could use work with your footing." It sounded more like an order than anything else to me.

Gareth bowed out disappointed. "Yes,_ sire_."

"Arthur," I greeted as I bowed my head. He smiled at me, flashing a beautiful smile. I was briefly reminded of how I really imagined King Arthur. He was so far ahead my expectations right now… I pushed that thought quickly from my mind, knowing that the Once and Future King could sadly never be mine, but Guinevere's. She was so lucky and yet, she goes after Lancelot! Maybe things would be different, considering.

"Jen," he said back to me with a dazzling smile. When he saw my blush crawl onto my cheeks and his face got serious. "How do you like Camelot so far?" he asked. Like Camelot? I love Camelot! It looked like everything I had ever thought of with a few bonuses thrown in, of course.

"I like it. It's almost everything that's been rumored." I told him casually. We began walking. It was natural, flowing almost. Talking to Arthur was so easy. Unlike how it was back home where I just stumbled over my words.

"What have you heard?" Arthur asked almost as if he already knew the answer to that.

"That Camelot is a beautiful and magical place." Oops! The words had slipped out before I could even think them through. Why did I have to say 'magical'? I had received a few stares from the knights that were walking by us.

Arthur didn't react to that, though. "Where did you hear 'magical'?" There was curiosity in his voice. I shrugged, not really knowing what to say. "You see, my father hates magic. It's a horrible evil that shouldn't be dealt with." I laughed involuntarily. He stared at me, confused.

"Wrong, Confucius." I teased. "Not all magic is evil, Arthur. It depends on what that person does with the power that determines if it's evil or a force of good." I said putting a wise tone to it. "Think of magic like your sword. The item itself isn't evil. What you do with that weapon makes you good or bad. The sword is just a tool that you use." He considered this for a second then chuckled.

"Try telling my father that." I frowned. So did that mean that Arthur believed me? The conversation went cold after that. Neither one of us knew what to say. I partially wondered whether or not he suspected me of sorcery. "You say that as if you know that from personal experience."

"What are you insinuating, Prince Arthur?" I asked.

"I'm not insinuating anything. Should I be?" Arthur's playful tone turned dead serious. We both stopped walking and I looked up at him, considering he was significantly taller than me. I stared deep into his eyes, thinking my answer over in my head, and then I cracked a smile.

"Oh, I've watched enough NCIS to know that trick!" I laughed a little. My expression hardened when he didn't laugh with me. Obviously, he thought I was avoiding the question.

"All I'm asking is do you practice magic?" he asked quietly.

"It seems to me that it doesn't matter whether or not I deny or admit to these charges. Either way I would end up dead, once King Arth… Uther finds out." I said slyly. "To answer your question, though," he looked at me, dreading the answer. "I do not practice magic, though I have been involved in it before." Yeah, just now when I wished on a star and got shot back here to the sixth century!

"How do I know to believe you? I've only just met you and you're a servant." Arthur told me with his arms spread out. He clearly wasn't used to being challenged by the 'help'.

"Just a servant?" I said through my teeth. "Well this 'servant' happens to know a lot, thank you very much. And for the record," I began to walk back to the stables, fed up with him. "I don't lie to my friends." I called over my shoulder.

"Wait, Jen, I'm… sorry." He said catching up to me in a few seconds, tops. He grabbed me by the arm stopping me in my tracks.

"Is there something you want, _Prince_ Arthur." I asked harshly. This Arthur was _nothing_ that I imagined indefinitely.

"I wanted to apologize if I offended you." He said. For some reason I knew that this was sincere.

"Apology accepted." I said halfheartedly. "By the way, before our little departure here, if you ever need to talk I'm a great listener." I said with a smile as I walked off again.

"Why would I need to talk?" he called after me playfully.

I looked over my shoulder. "You seem like the stressed out type!" He laughed but I continued walking so I could get back to Merlin. Maybe now he was done. His magic was handy that way. I couldn't stop thinking about Arthur, though. Maybe there was a spell to rid people of your thought processes when needed. I could only hope. I rolled my eyes as I reentered the stables. Merlin was covered in icky poop, but his red neckerchief was neatly folded off to the side, nice and clean. At this, I had to laugh. Merlin and that dorky scarf, who knew! I always thought it was a pointy hat.

"What?" he asked. I laughed again and shook my head handing him a cloth to wipe the waste off of him. "Thanks."

"Sure," He took it greedily, clearly eager to get clean. He looked down at himself.

"Uh, Arthur is going to sack me if I go back to work looking like this." Merlin groaned.

"There's _more_ work to do?" I asked in disbelief. He nodded sadly. "Well, isn't there a river or something to rinse off in?" He cocked his head and then nodded. I followed him out of the stables making sure to grab his red scarf on the way. We walked until we reached a flowing river. "Got a swimming suit handy?"

"A swimming suit?" he asked me. I nodded, having to laugh at this century. "You have uniforms to swim in?"

"No, Merlin. Never mind what I said!" I said waving it off. He shrugged and stepped into the cold water fully clothed. I saw him shivering and heard him swear at the frigidness of his 'bath' water. "Uh, Merlin," I prompted. He looked up at me. "You're Merlin. Think!" Then I waved my hand like I was doing some make believe spell. "You're a wizard. You could say a spell and abracadabra! The water's warm!"

Merlin smiled sheepishly. He outstretched his hand. _"Abracadabra"_ he said. Nothing happened- not that I was shocked or anything. I broke out into a fit of laughter. "What is it? You gave me the spell." I laughed so much that I almost fell down. Never in a million years would I have thought of _Merlin_ using 'abracadabra'. That's for Cinderella and fairytales and things like that.

"You're such a dork! Abracadabra isn't an actual spell. It's just something we say, like hocus pocus." I informed him trying to control my laughter. "Abracadabra means hocus pocus which just means magic." He looked so confused but I continued my babble. "Oh, maybe you could try alacazam or presto! I've always wanted to see if those spells worked. I think presto is a spell. Maybe not…" he began laughing at me.

"Presto, hocus pocus?" Merlin said still laughing at me.

"Just take your stinking bath!" I snapped and glared playfully at him and stood behind a tree. I decided to think about Arthur, randomly. What would happen if he and I got together? It would be _Romeo and Juliet_ all over again, although, I wouldn't kill myself.

"I thought you knew all this stuff about magic and Camelot." He called from the river.

"I said that I knew about Camelot and that I liked magic, not that I knew all about it." I called back.

"You know all about the sixth century, I thought. You're Jen!" He said.

My mind went back to forbidden love for a second before I answered. "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet?" I quoted.

"What was _that_?!" he declared.

"Sorry," I shouted over the wind. "It's from the famous play _Romeo and Juliet_ by William Shakespeare. He hasn't been born yet, though." Then the thought occurred to me. Prince Arthur verses Romeo Montague, who would win?

"What's it about?" Merlin asked as he got out of the water, soaking wet. He began ringing out his sleeves. "It sounds kind of interesting." He said. Oh if only he knew how it ended…

"Well, it's about two lovers that are forbidden to see each other because a feud between the Montague and the Capulet families." I sighed. "For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo." I quoted again. "Sorry," I said at his confused expression.

"It sounds sad, but it reminds me of you and Arthur… you know, if you two ever got together." Merlin said quickly as if he wished I hadn't heard him.

"Jennifer Capulet, hmm…" I pondered over that for a second. "But what feud does the Pendragons and Coldwells have, dear Merlin?" he looked at me funny because of my attempt at an accent that I failed at miserably.

"I was just saying, you're from the future and he's from the present, or past…" he cocked his head again thinking of the right term to use, then gave up. "You know what I mean." I nodded.

"Besides, I'm not interested in Arthur." I told him. He gave me a skeptical look. "I'm not!" But my voice betrayed me and cracked. Merlin just nodded and pulled me along with a wet hand back to the castle. Well, we went to Gaius' chambers so that Merlin could get dry. I guess Arthur never expected Merlin back after mucking out the stables for quite some time. That was probably a good thing.

"Hello, Gaius." I greeted with a grin. The old physician smiled warmly at our entrance. I could have sworn I heard him chuckle when he saw Merlin all soaking wet.

Merlin began freaking out. "My scarf!" he panicked as his hand flew to where his trusty red neckerchief was supposed to be located at all times. Gaius rolled his eyes at his ward's forgetfulness and continued working on some strange thing that smelled horrible.

"Abracadabra!" I said happily as I lifted the scarf up to show him that I had got it. "Leave it to Future Girl to take care of Merlin." He smiled that smile that he always does and took the sacred scarf from me, tying it securely around his neck.

"I'll be right back, and thanks." He said and went back into a room I took belonged to him. I turned back to Gaius.

"What are you doing?" I asked curious. He would be a much better chemistry teacher than the one I had, obviously.

"I'm trying to find an antidote to a sickness that a few people have caught." He explained. Gaius swirled around a potion in a clear, glass vial and held it up to the light to examine it better. Right next to a bubbling pot was green goo.

"What's…?" I asked pointing to the glob not really knowing what to call it. He put down the vial and looked at said goo.

"Oh, that's just a bit of toad paste." He told me matter-of-factly. I nodded not knowing what that is. I had suspicions, but I shuttered at them.

"And that is…?" I prompted.

"Don't ask, trust me!" Merlin said quickly as he came back out to join us. There was a thick leather book in his arms. He slammed it on the table making the dust fly and it created beautiful dust moats in the noon light.

"What's that?" I asked curiosity in my voice.

"This, Jen, is my magic book." He explained. My face lit up immediately, but I didn't get the chance to look at it. Arthur walked right into the room without even a knock. Merlin acted quickly and stood in front the book. My heart began to race.

"Merlin, I see that you're done. Shouldn't you be getting back to work?" he asked, not noticing me. "Why are you all wet?"

"Oh, um," Merlin struggled for words. I decided to step in.

"I'll help you while Merlin dries off." I offered and didn't wait for an answer. I pushed Arthur out of the room as he stuttered, confused on what just happened. Behind the closed the door, I heard the laughter of Gaius and Merlin. I turned back to Arthur. "So, sire, what can I do for you?"

Arthur was taken aback by this. "Jen, you don't have to do anything. Merlin is my manservant. He is supposed to be doing his chores, not you." He informed me, annoyed by Merlin's behavior.

"Oh, I don't mind." I said shaking my head. Before he had time to respond, Merlin was there, standing next to Arthur.

"I'm here, sire." He said out of breath. Looking him over, I saw that he was completely dry. I bit my lip to keep from laughing. It was so obvious- at least to me- that he had used his magic. "What would you like me to do?"

"Where do I start?" Arthur asked curtly. "Come, I'll show you." He gestured for us to follow. Merlin and I glanced at each other before I just shrugged and walked on. Arthur walked right into his chambers and stopped in the middle of the room.

"What are we doing here? I already cleaned your room." Merlin said.

"No, it's not my chambers. This concerns Jen." They both stared at me and I blushed at the sudden limelight.

"Me?"

"Yes you, because I doubt that Merlin has considered where you are going to sleep during your stay here." Arthur said turning back to Merlin. The warlock looked down at his feet giving me an apologetic smile.

I honestly hadn't even thought about that. The thought just had not occurred to me yet.

"That's what I thought." The prince grumbled. "Which is why I have, you will be staying in a spare room that we have here in the castle." he looked at me smiling, proud of himself for thinking of that.

"I couldn't do that. I don't want to be a burden." I took a step back and put my hands up defensively.

"Nonsense, you will be staying in this room here." He walked out the door and disappeared. We both went after him. We didn't have to go far. Arthur was standing right by a door that was next to his room. He opened it for me. "My Lady,"

The room was beautiful! It had a huge four-poster bed in the middle of it with a wardrobe that was hand carved next to it. There was a fireplace with a lot of wood on one wall and a window on another.

"I took the liberty of getting you more dresses which are in your wardrobe." He pointed out. I ran over to it and opened the smooth doors. Indeed, inside was a wide array of dresses from the darkest colors to the lightest.

"Thank you, it's wonderful!" I said happily. Merlin was smiling while looking at Arthur. The prince was smiling while looking at me! It was clear what Merlin was thinking as he glanced back and forth from me to the prince and back again.

The rest of the day went by pretty fast. Arthur had Merlin busy the whole day and I had nothing else to do but follow him around.

Now I was sitting on my bed looking at every corner of the room. I began to wonder what my mom would think if she knew I was sleeping right next to a boy's room. But this was King Arthur's room of which I was speaking, so I decided it didn't matter.

There was a knock on my door and I got up to answer it. "Yes?" I asked the servant.

"Did you need anything?" he asked. I was about to answer 'no' but then I remembered something.

"Yes, can I have paper and something to write with?" he nodded and disappeared down the stairs. He returned a few minutes later with a black quill and parchment. I thanked him and closed the door.

I went over to my bed and dipped the quill into the ink bottle and began writing; _"Day one; I had arrived in Camelot today, but nothing like what the legend says. King Arthur, for one…"_

**A/N: Sorry for the corny cut-off, but it seemed appropriate to end here. Please review if you want the next chapter! It means the world to me!**


	3. That's Merlin For You!

**A/N: Thank you to all those who reviewed, favored, alerted, etc… :) It made me so happy! This chapter was very fun to write, it might add. Of course I've said that about all of them, but in this one I made up a new word in the process, then finding out it wasn't really a word, and having to change it…**

**OK enough of my babble on my part and on to the story!**

**Disclaimer: Merlin doesn't belong to me. I only own Jen.**

I woke up when there was a knock on my door. Lifting my head I saw that I had fallen asleep writing my version or diary of Camelot. My back was against the headboard and aching like hell. The door opened without waiting for a response.

"Hi, Jen," Merlin greeted me with a smile. "I hope you slept well." He sat a tray that had a very wide array of food on a trunk at the foot of my bed. That's when I remembered that I had slept in the castle last night.

"Uh, yeah I did. Thanks, Merlin, but you didn't have to get me breakfast." I said, still groggy from just being woken up. "It's not like I'm a princess or anything." I stretched me arms high in the air.

He looked me up and down; my hair was sitting there on my head like a rat's nest and my dress was wrinkled beyond repair. "No, you're definitely not a princess!" he teased. I grabbed my pillow and threw it at him. Unfortunately, he ducked out of the way.

Arthur walked in through the opened door- and just to my luck- the pillow hit him right smack dab in the face and dropped to the floor with a plop!

Merlin was biting his lip trying to hold back a laugh. My hands shot up to my mouth to cover my open mouth. Arthur was staring straight ahead with a grimace. Merlin suddenly burst out laughing whilst I was still in shock that I hit Arthur with the pillow that was supposed to hit Merlin. Crap!

"Do I want to know what was going on in here?" the prince asked plainly. I shook my head.

"I'm so sorry, My Lord!" I chewed on my lip, silently waiting for his reply.

He turned to a Merlin who was clutching his sides. "She's been here for a day and you already have her against me, Merlin?"

Merlin straightened up immediately. "No, uh, I'm sorry. We were just having a bit of fun. The pillow was meant to hit me, not you." he hung his head, but I could see the smile still there. This was just too tempting. I grabbed another pillow, and threw it at him, softly. Success! "Ow!" he laughed.

"Good, you're getting the hang of things." Arthur said to me. "Merlin, we are having a feast tonight so I need you to wash my clothes and polish the buttons on my jacket." He ordered. "Jen, of course you are more than welcome to join your cousin at the feast."

"Thanks." I said softly. Arthur walked out of the room and Merlin and I broke out laughing.

"Did you see his face?" Merlin said in between breaths.

"Oh yeah, I sure did!" I exclaimed. "That was too good!" We stopped laughing a second or so later. I got up and started pushing Merlin out of my room. "Leave, I'm going to get dressed now." He chuckled and shut the door behind him. I turned back to the wardrobe.

Flipping through the garments, I finally saw one that was casual enough for me. It was a dark purple dress with medium length sleeves. I put the gown up to my body to see what it would like. Facing the mirror, I observed that the color brought out some of the blue in my eyes and it complimented my straight, dark hair perfectly.

Unfortunately, my hair wouldn't stay straight for long, seeing as the second I'm able to get a bath I'm going to wash it! After it would dry it would be curly again. Too bad they don't have straighteners here.

There was another knock on my door and in stepped a beautiful lady who had black wavy hair that flowed over a green dress that complimented her eyes. She smiled warmly at me.

"It looks beautiful." She said to me. "I hope you are enjoying your stay here so far? Arthur hasn't been too much of a prat, I hope."

"Oh, it's been simply lovely. Arthur's been great, as well." I told her. "I'm Jen, by the way."

"I'm the Lady Morgana." Morgana said with a smile. I stiffened. Wasn't Morgana supposed to be evil? This Morgana didn't seem bad. If anything she seemed very nice. "Would you care for some help?" she asked.

"No, that's fine, but thanks." I took the dress and went behind the screen. Morgana sat down on my bed and began talking.

"Arthur says that you and Merlin are cousins?" she started. Curiosity was filling her voice. Once I got myself out of the dress I answered her, thinking carefully about what I was going to say.

"Well he's right." Simple enough, I think.

"I take it that you two are close."

"Why do you say that?" I asked. Finally, I got my head through the whole of the purple dress. I stepped out from behind the screen to show off.

"Merlin is just always so sweet and caring, and by what Arthur says you and Merlin seem more like brother and sister." She told me. I noticed that when she was saying that Merlin is 'sweet and caring' there was a certain look on her face. You know the look I'm talking about. The look when someone likes somebody…

"Yes he is, and yes we are. It seems that you are a bit sweet on him, Lady Morgana." I said as casually as I could manage as I was looking in the mirror, twisting my hair up into different styles.

Her eyes got wide, but she remained calm. "Don't be ridiculous, Jen. I'm too busy around here helping him annoy Arthur." She giggled.

"Are you Arthur's half sister?" I asked turning back to her.

"Oh, no," Morgana smiled. "Uther took me in after my father died and I've lived with him ever since. I don't believe in some of his morals, though." She said darkly.

"You don't believe that all magic is bad?" I asked without thinking.

She smiled at me brightly. "No I don't. Magic could choose you, and that doesn't make you evil." Morgana confirmed. I smiled back at her. I wondered why Merlin hadn't told her his secret yet. Or maybe he has and I just don't know about it.

"That's very smart." She nodded a thank you and stood up.

"I shall leave you to whatever you are going to do. If you need anything my maid, Gwen and I will be there." She smiled again and left the room.

Now, on my own, I had no idea what to do, so I walked over to the massive plate that Merlin had brought me. The bread was exceedingly delicious and warm. It must have come straight from the kitchens. Once done with that, I moved on to the apple. I wondered for a brief second what fruit from Camelot would taste like. That thought went away when I bite into it. The juice from the apple quenched my thirst. Amazing how food can taste so different a millennium and a half, or so compared to the twenty first century.

After I was finished with some of the food, I went for a walk in the castle. I found that servants would bow for me and kept calling me 'My Lady'. It was very strange, but I played along. Soon I found my way to the courtyard and ran into Merlin, but not the way I had been expecting.

The poor boy was in the stocks having fruit pelted at him from all angles. There was a big red tomato on the top of his head. A rotten red apple was lunged towards him and hit him right in the nose. When it plopped down on the ground I could see his face. He was laughing! Merlin was the target of rotten food and he was happy about it?

I walked up to him after the attackers had left- probably to get more ammunition. "Hey, what did you do to get thrown in the stocks?" I asked.

"It wasn't my fault!" Merlin said defensively.

"Of course it wasn't. Let's hear the story."

"So, I was bringing the Lady Morgana flowers," I raised my eyebrows. "It's not like that!" he reassured me. "She suffers from bad dreams and I was just… Never mind that! Anyway, so there I was bringing her flowers, when I passed Arthur's chambers. I guess I hadn't done something that he had asked me to do."

"I'm going to assume that you are often a popular target for rotten fruit?" I asked.

"Yes he is." Arthur walked up to stand on the other side of Merlin. "I was hoping that with family here he might behave for once." The prince shook his head and patted Merlin on the head.

"Not again, Merlin?" Gwen asked as she walked past us.

"Yes, Guinevere, _again_!" the prince said with a chuckle. "Well, this has been fun, but I need to prepare for the feast."

"But that's not until tonight." I said quickly. "What are you going to be doing? Fixing your hair?" I heard Gwen muffle a giggle and Merlin was trying not to laugh.

"No, Jennifer, I need to help my father with the plans. Now, if you'll excuse me?" he began walking away again before I grabbed his arm. "What?"

"What about Merlin?" I asked gesturing towards the poor warlock covered in fruit. The people who were throwing food at him returned then.

"What about him? Throw some at him yourself. You'll find it's rather fun." With that, he walked away. I shook my head.

"Well, Merlin," I said as I got closer to him. I saw a little boy raise his arm, about to launch something soft and wet. "Best of luck!" Quickly I got out of the way.

"Wait, Jen, no, OW!"

I laughed all the way to Gaius' chambers. When the physician asked what was so funny, I told him.

"Oh, not again?" he asked shaking his head just like Gwen did.

"Yes, but I can't help but feel sorry for him. He's going to be a mess when he comes back." Gaius nodded as I sat down. "Perhaps I should get him some water to wash up with." I stood up and grabbed the bucket. Then I paused.

"Is there a problem?" Gaius asked putting down his book.

"Yeah, how do you get the water?" he chuckled at my ignorance and brought me out to the pump to show me- step by step- how to use it. He helped me carry the heavy bucket back into the castle and onto the table.

I spent my time reading Merlin's magic book that Gaius told me was hidden under a loose floor board in his room. It had so many pictures to look at- that's the only thing I could do. Most of the writing was in Latin or faded out. I skimmed through Gaius' creature books as well. These I found quite interesting. There were griffins and unicorns and strange fairy like things, all of the stuff I didn't think existed. And when I asked him about it he looked at me like I was crazy.

"You've never seen a unicorn?" he asked. The way he said it almost made me feel foolish to answer no. He sighed and said something under his breath that sounded like, "Strange century she's from" and "Not even a unicorn".

Merlin came trudging through the door. Once again I noticed that his red scarf was not around his neck, but in his pocked, clean as can be. When he saw the bucket he walked over to it and put his whole head in the icy water.

"Uh, Merlin?" I asked cautiously. "Are you okay?"

He took his head out and I handed him a towel. "No, that stupid feast is tonight, but that's not what I'm going to think about." He started to smile. "We need to focus on finding a way for you to get back home."

"You want to get rid of me that bad?" I teased.

"You know what I mean." Merlin rolled his eyes. "Gaius, do you mind helping?"

"Not at all!" he said and we all sat down at the little table. The physician got up and found some books to start with and slammed them down in front of us.

"Alright, sit all the Latin books down here." I gestured towards a place next to me. They both did this quickly, knowing which ones were Latin and which was not.

"You can read Latin?" Merlin asked impressed.

"No, these are all the books I won't be able to read." I gestured towards the pile that reached to the top of my head. Merlin and Gaius chuckled at my lack of knowledge of the Latin language as I rolled my eyes. How was I supposed to know a dead language?

I read the books that I could read. All I found was just a few things about slowing time and stopping time for short periods of time, but never anything on traveling it! Merlin was starting to fall asleep over his magic book.

Soon it had gotten dark and we were forced to light a candle to see. The giant clock chimed which made Merlin and I jump. Gaius remained calm, of course. "Won't you be late in helping Arthur get ready?" he asked still immersed in his book.

"Ugh, that's right." He got to his feet and walked over to the door, pausing when he put his hand on the handle. "Jen, you're coming to." It wasn't a question.

"No, no, no, no!" I stuttered.

"Oh, yes you are going. Arthur invited you." Merlin persisted.

"No, he said I _may_ come. Not that I _had_ to come." I argued.

"Jen, if I have to go and keep Arthur's goblet full, then so do you."

"Yeah, well parties, feasts, they aren't really my scene."

"You're scene?" Merlin asked trying to figure my newest term out. "Well, if that means what I think it means, then you're still coming." He walked over to me and lifted me up out of my chair as I groaned in protest. "Come on," he pushed me over to the door. "Now, go get ready." As he went in the direction towards somewhere I went the other way. Once he disappeared around the corner I headed back to Gaius' chambers. Merlin's head peaked around the corner. "Jen," he scolded and pointed in the direction of my new room. "Go," he smiled. I groaned again and obeyed him. What was the point in arguing? He would just enchant me or something with a flash of gold.

**A/N: And there we end the next chapter! Please review it for the next chapter, it would mean so much to me!**


	4. The Feast

**A/N: Hello again! Once again, I thank all of those who reviewed, favored, alerted, etc… It makes me very happy! :D I was hesitant on posting this because I wasn't so sure about this one, but I went with it so you didn't have to wait for me to make up my mind (which could've taken a while). So please review it!**

**Disclaimer: Merlin's not mine, and neither is Arthur, unfortunately, or anyone else for that matter. I only own Jen.**

"So many to choose from…" I stood there in my chambers chewing on my lip, wondering what dress I was going to wear to the feast. When I had been walking to my room, I had heard the maids talking about a food fight and I didn't know how to dress for a food fight. I don't have my messy, yard work clothes with me at the moment, so that was out.

I guess all I had to do was hope that I am able to make it out of the room before I get pelted with food. After I confirmed that that was my plan I got dressed in the most formal dress I could find; a royal blue gown that went a bit past my ankles. It had a low neck line and the sleeves were dangling over the shoulders, but still managed to hold up. It was tight and required a corset, something I had no experience with. To my luck, Gwen had come in to check on me and I was able to get her help with the stubborn thing.

"There!" she exclaimed happily once I was all dress up.

"Thanks so much for your help, Gwen." I said wholeheartedly. She excused herself to the feast and I was left trying to figure out how to put my hair.

Staring into the mirror I fiddled with the tangles and knots until it was smooth, then worked on a proper style. It took a while because I couldn't decide between two styles, but I settled with pulling the left front strand back with a beautiful, butterfly comb. I was already late, so it had to be good enough for Camelot.

I slipped on blue slippers that matched the dress I had on. Well, they weren't my Converse, but it would have to do seeing as shoes aren't that good here.

With a pounding chest, I took my first step out of the door. The halls seemed to be extra long and narrow. Each step I took was like a drum banging inside of my brain; just another reminder of why I hate parties! I always got too nervous before them and I would end up making a fool of myself. The thought of going to a feast not knowing most of the people was nerve-wracking. At least I knew four people, but Arthur and Morgana would be busy greeting the guests and Gwen and Merlin would be busy 'keeping their goblets full'. That leaves me with nothing to do but feel awkward.

At last, I reached the big doors that led into the feast. Two guards were standing at the entrance. They bowed their heads and opened the doors. I smile a 'thanks' and walked in. When I got in there, my stomach did a total back flip.

Everyone was staring at me.

Okay, not _everyone_, but it sure did feel like that! Was it too late to make an embarrassing run for it? My feet ordered me to walk on and so I did. Yes, it was definitely too late to turn back. I was in the middle of the room when Merlin came up to me.

"You sure do know how to catch a knight's eye." He teased. "You look beautiful." Merlin said. It was clear that it was awkward for him to say that. I guess he doesn't have much experience with girls. Oh well, I don't have much with boys.

I returned the compliment. "Thank you very much. You look very handsome." Yes, he was still wearing that lucky red scarf and brown jacket of his.

"I was supposed to wear this ridiculous uniform with a horrid hat, but I was able to talk myself out of it." Merlin explained with a smile. "And no I didn't use magic. I do have other talents, you know?"

I held my hands up defensively. "Hey, I didn't say you didn't!"

"So what were you doing at Gaius' when I wasn't there?" he asked. I giggled.

"Oh he was shocked that I had never seeing a unicorn." I informed him with another laugh. He looked a bit confused.

"Then he must have just been teasing you, because seeing a unicorn is a really rare thing." the all-knowing Merlin said.

"Really?" he nodded. "Weird."

"You don't have unicorn-"

"Merlin, I need more wine!" Arthur ordered. Wow, when he said was there _just_ to fill Arthur's cup he wasn't kidding! Merlin gave me an apologetic look and went after Arthur's drink. I was left on my own again. A small walk would be nice, I suppose.

On this short stroll through the throne room, I received a few winks from the knights. I recognized one of them as the knight that had come up to me yesterday. What was his name? Oh well, that doesn't really matter to me. I wasn't ever going to see him again once I was back to the future.

The stares continued with a few whistles every now and then. That made it really awkward for me. I went over and stood out to the side, facing the doors. Maybe it wasn't too late to bail…

"Jennifer," someone greeted me from behind. Turning around, I saw Prince Arthur standing inches from me wearing long, red robes and a gold crown upon his blond head. It suited him very nicely. "You look simply beautiful tonight."

I looked up at him and raised my eyebrows playfully. "I think that crown of yours is on too tight." I teased. He smiled and rolled his blue eyes.

"Don't say that. Tell me you haven't been noticing that all the men in this room have been interested in you." He challenged. I knew he was right, but I was embarrassed to admit it. I was too self-conscious for my own good.

I blushed and cleared my throat. "So how's the feast?"

"Changing the subject I see." Arthur chuckled. "It's fine, just like all the others." He looked up at the ceiling while I took that chance to take in a deep breath. He looked back at me. "You do realize where you're standing, don't you?"

"Um, in the throne room off to the side?" I asked with a smile.

He shook his head and his face went serious. "Under mistletoe." He said simply. I gasped and looked up. Sure enough, there was that trader plant. The plant that had gotten me into so many weird situations and now here I was, under mistletoe with King… _Prince_ Arthur.

He began to lean in as I stood on my toes, readying myself for the magic that was about to happen. His eyes were closed and I was about to do the same. Yes, I know that this is happening so fast, but one little kiss is fine! My eyes were almost shut, and that's when I saw her. Guinevere. She was standing in a corner. No, she wasn't watching us, but some knights drinking their brains out and cracking jokes. But still, I felt strange doing this. One kiss wouldn't hurt, but I still knew…

Arthur's lips were less than an inch from mine when I stood off to the side. I cleared my throat so he would open his eyes and not kiss the wall. Arthur's eyes flung open. When he saw me looking guilty and had my head down, he sighed.

I glanced back at Gwen who was now talking with Morgana. "Excuse me," I said quickly and walked away leaving Arthur behind. I heard a few knights chuckle loudly and make remarks like, "Better luck next time" and "Even the prince of Camelot gets turned down". Ignoring them, I swiftly walked out the doors without waiting for the guards to open them dramatically for me.

So badly did I want to dissolve into the walls right now! That, unfortunately, wasn't possible, so I settled on turning the corner and collapsing on the floor. "Oh, gosh!" I gasped. Why didn't I kiss him?! The chance was laid perfectly in front of me! I was too dumb to take the chance, though. But Gwen, she was supposed to be Arthur's bride and become queen, not me.

Not that I even considered me and Arthur being together!

Surely, he was going to avoid me now. He had been made a fool of by being turned down by the new girl. I wouldn't get the chance to explain either, because I can't! "Hey, Arthur, guess what! You're going to marry Morgana's maid one day and that's why I'm not going to kiss you!" Yeah, it sounds insane.

I sat there on the cold floor for minutes or hours, for time wasn't of the essence to me. All that mattered was that I was _out_ of that room. All that mattered was that I could suffer in peace, without lingering eyes.

Footsteps were coming my way, but I couldn't care less. "Jen?" a familiar voice asked. It was Merlin. Concern was plastered across his face. He sat down next to me and my pool of blue fabric. "I saw what happened. Most of the guests saw what happened." He shrugged. Tears began to slide down my cheeks. Merlin didn't miss a thing, did he? He lifted my face up and wiped the tears off. "It's going to be alright. Arthur's a prat, remember?"

A single laugh escaped my lips. It was broken and sad, but it was a laugh all the same. This brought a smile to his face.

"It's Gwen isn't it?" his question caught me off guard. "Or Morgana." I gave him a confused look. "I saw you looking that way when you didn't…" he let the sentence float in the air because we both knew he shouldn't finish that line.

"One of them, yes." I said.

He let that subject drop and changed it. "He's really disappointed in there, you know?"

"I'm sorry, but it was just happening too fast!" I lied. Was it really a lie?

"I agree, but you do know that you're only here for a short amount of time." He reminded me, but he didn't have to. I already knew that. It was something that was always haunting me, now. "What do you say about going back in there and I'll get you some wine?"

"As tempting as that sounds, I don't drink." I told him. He shrugged. "I probably should be going to bed anyway. I don't think I could stand the stares." Merlin nodded and helped me to my aching feet.

"It's almost over anyway." He smiled. "Goodnight, Jen." He walked off then, back to Arthur I suppose. I sighed and wiped away the rest of my tears. Looking ahead of me, I put one foot in front of the other. My room wasn't that far away.

It seemed like it took an eternity to get back to my chambers. Collapsing on my bed I realized just how tired and cold I was. I got under the thick covers letting the warmth flow through me. I was about to drift off when there was a knock on my door. I groaned loudly. Easily, I could have told whoever it is to go away, but of course, I had to do the polite thing. "Come in." I grumbled.

The door opened and in stepped Merlin. He had his usual smile on his face and something in his arms. It was striped purple pants with a purple top! I ran over and hugged him.

"Oh, thank you, Merlin, thank you!" I screamed like a little girl.

"Sure, and since last night you slept in your clothes I thought you might need these." He explained and handed me my clothes.

"Yeah, what was I supposed to sleep in anyway?" I asked. He chuckled and went over to my wardrobe. He hunted through the gowns until he pulled out a light blue dress that had long sleeves and touched the floor. "That?" I asked shocked.

He nodded.

"I thought that was just a dress to wear!" I said as he laughed at me again.

"Then it's a good thing I told you before you went walking around Camelot in your nightgown." He put the night gown back in the wardrobe and turned back to me. "Now you have your… night pants."

I giggled. "They're pajamas." I told him. "Not '_night pants_', Merlin."

"Sorry I'm not familiar with your strange talk." He teased. "You look pretty tired, so I'll leave you." Merlin was out the door when he turned around. "Get some sleep." He ordered.

"I will, _dad_!" he chuckled and shut the door.

I sighed and changed into my soft and fuzzy pajamas. I had tossed the other dress over a chair. My own clothes felt good to have on, like part of home was still with me. It eased my nerves drastically. Merlin was a hero! He was definitely the best warlock ever for bringing me my PJs.

Once again I got in the bed and laid my head on the fluffy pillow. My eyes closed and…

_Knock, knock, knock!_

Great, just great! Don't they know when to give a girl some peace and quiet?

_Knock, knock!_

"Apparently not." I grumbled. "Go away!" I yelled.

"Jennifer?" a small voice outside my door said. It was Arthur. "Can we talk?"

I groaned. "Fine," I yelled back. I got up and stood in the middle of my room with my arms crossed. He opened the door and came in. Immediately, he looked away.

"You're not even dressed." He said covering his eyes with his right hand only peaking slightly in between the gaps in his fingers.

I snorted. "You know, Artie, I've worn more revealing things out shopping." My hands moved to my hips. He grimaced and dropped his hand. "Now, what did you want?"

"Did you just call me…?" he paused. "You know, most people wouldn't talk to the future king of Camelot like that after denying him a kiss." He pointed out. I rolled my eyes.

"Well, I'm not most people. Now, if you're done talking about yourself in third person can you get to your point?"

Arthur opened his mouth. "I thought that I already did!" I waited. "Why did you run off?" I turned my back and began walking to my bed, hands still on hips.

"I have my reasons." I said simply.

Arthur opened his mouth and a let out a small sigh. "It's going too fast, isn't it?" he asked. "No, there's someone else in your life right now?" I shook my head with a humorless laugh. Then Arthur gasped as if he finally knew the real reason. "I know what it is."

"You do?" I asked skeptically.

"Of course I do. I'm not oblivious to everything, as to what Merlin might tell you." He looked deep into my eyes. "It's my father."

I needed a reason that sounded true, for the actual reason sounded ridiculous. "Yeah, that's it." Maybe that was the truth, too. "Arthur, like you said, you're the prince and I'm a servant girl." Well, I kind of am.

Arthur put his hand up to his temple. He took his crown off and sat it down on the trunk. "There."

I sighed and put my hand on his shoulder. "That doesn't change your identity and I really don't want it to. Look, I'll explain later, maybe, but for now can I get some sleep?" I began pushing him softly out the door. I didn't wait for an answer. "See you in the morning, Arthur."

The door clicked shut and I leaned against the smooth wood. "Man, why can't I just tell him?!" I said aloud, perhaps, a little too loud.

I got into my bed for the third time that night. I leaned over to blow out the single candle on the small bedside table. Darkness engulfed the room with shadows stretching from wall to wall. My head fell back onto the pillow and I looked up at the ceiling. "Goodnight, Camelot. Goodnight, Arthur."

**A/N: Sorry for the dorky ending, but I didn't know how to end this chapter. Please review it, since I wasn't sure if this chapter was crap or not, so please I need feedback! That would be very, very, very, nice of you!**


	5. An Unexpected Conversation

**A/N: Another chapter has arrived! :) I know that some of you are wondering why Jen is being treated so well for a servant girl, but have no fear, I have had a plan for that ever since I started this story. Arthur has this way of not noticing the obvious and just blaming it on something like luck or something, so I'm taking advantage of that cute little thing about him and inserting that into here! (if that made any sense what so ever!) lol**

**Disclaimer: I only own Jen, not Merlin, or Arthur, or Gwen, or Morgana… (and the list continues)**

I woke up the next morning to the sunlight that was shining brightly in. Sighing, I decided to get my butt out of the bed before Merlin could come in and tease me about sleeping in too late. I found that my body ached all over when I got up. The floor was freezing cold to my feet. I strutted over in front of the mirror to fix my tangled hair.

Observing, I saw that my cheeks were no longer had a natural red tint, but was pale. That was strange, I was feeling perfectly fine. Crap! I had forgotten to eat last night, that's why. I rolled my eyes at my foolishness. With all the drama that had happened I guess eating wasn't my first priority.

The strange thing was I wasn't hungry. This was abnormal for me.

I heard clanking outside my window. I walked over to see what was going on. Below, there were knights training. Swords were swinging in every direction and the armor was blinding in the morning light. That's when I remembered that I needed to talk to Arthur.

I sighed. This could be a long day.

There was a loud knock at my door. "Come in." I said as I stretched my aching arms and legs. Merlin walked in with a bright smile as always.

"Hey! I see you just got up." He said looking me up and down. I nodded with a smile. "Well, as long as you slept well, it's fine by me."

"Yeah, I did."

"So," he said. "We need to go see someone. Although I _really_ don't want to go see them, we might not have a choice. Actually, we don't have a choice. Unfortunately, we do have to see him no matter what since he seems to know all this stuff. I think some he makes up, perhaps…" Merlin babbled.

"Slow down there, cowboy!" I said holding my hands up. "What are you talking about?"

He gave me an apologetic grin. "Sorry, just get dressed and we need to go."

"Okay, okay." I said. I walked over to the wardrobe and grabbed another dress that was a shade of green. As I went behind the screen Merlin sat down on my bed.

"Should I…?" he asked gesturing towards the door. I rolled my eyes.

"Merlin, there's a screen here so that you don't see anything. Besides, I trust you not to look!" I teased. He shook his head.

"Alright, but what would your mother think?" he asked continuing the conversation I was more than willing to drop.

"You're Merlin, Merlin. I don't think that she would care that I'm here staying with King Arthur and Merlin. She is after all," I explained. "The person who introduced to me the legend of Camelot,"

He nodded, taking in this new information. This dress was easier to get into. There were no complicated ties or corsets to deal with. I carefully placed my pajamas in the wardrobe and looked at myself in the mirror with this new dress on.

"You know what I wonder?" I asked dreamily.

"What?"

I twirled around to face him. "Why does Arthur give me a room in the castle to stay in with first-class treatment?" Merlin pondered over that for a minute before answering.

"You haven't heard?" he asked. I shook my head. "He doesn't really think that we're related. He thinks that you're some noble woman on the run from bandits or something." He laughed. "Or at least that's what I've heard."

I giggled. "Why would he think I was a noble woman? I'm not, far from it!" Merlin shrugged and raised his hands up.

"Hey, it's just what I've heard. I don't know, maybe it's because you walk around with so much confidence like Morgana does that he just jumped to conclusions." Merlin suggested. It made me smile when he said that I walked around with confidence, for I _needed_ a confidence booster. "You'll have to ask him, though." Merlin stood up when he saw that I was no longer getting ready for the day. "Okay, well we best be off before Arthur notices that I'm not cleaning his chambers." I nodded whilst I slipped some shoes on and walked briskly after him.

We got to yet another staircase when we ran into a big man who looked like he had much authority. Merlin gasped and bowed his head so I did the same. "King Uther," he said respectively.

"Merlin," King Uther said. He was about to walk past when he noticed me there too. "Who's this?"

"I'm Jen, sire. I'm Merlin's second cousin on his mother's side." I explained the lie. I tried to make it sound as true as I could for Merlin's sake and for mine.

The king looked me up and down quickly. "Yes, well please enjoy your stay here in Camelot."

"Thank you, My Lord." I bowed and Merlin and I walked on.

"Oh, Jen," Uther called back. I saw Merlin getting anxious.

"Yes, My Lord?"

"Do watch out for any sign of sorcery. As you probably already know magic is banned here." He said darkly. My heart skipped a beat. I managed another nod and bow before Merlin and I took off before he could call either one of us back again.

"That was a good lie." Merlin complimented once Uther was out of hearing distance.

"Thanks."

"How do you lie like that in front of the king?" Merlin asked astonished.

"Easy, always be specific when you lie." I said. The young warlock took that to note and the conversation dropped.

He led us down to the darkest parts of the castle. I was getting chilled as we descended down farther and farther. We came to a door that was locked tight. Merlin grabbed a lit torch, and looked from side to side before stretching his hand out to the lock.

"_Trusplia" _he muttered as his eyes flashed a brilliant gold. The door swung open instantly revealing a long tunnel that led to only Merlin knows where. He smiled at me and gestured for me to follow him down the dark passageway.

It really was a good thing that he went first. For one, he had the torch that lighted our way. Also, he knew where we were going and who we were going to meet. There were butterflies in my stomach that were fluttering at high speed when Merlin stopped at the wide opening.

There was a huge boulder in the middle of the cave that looked damp and dirty. I wondered who on earth we were going to meet down here. Merlin moved the torch around to try and look for something. "Hello?" he called into the cave. His yell echoed off the walls, bouncing everywhere. "I have someone here who needs your help!" he yelled again.

"Uh, Merlin," I whispered in his ear. "I don't think anyone's here." He nodded and he was about to turn back when there was a massive gust of wind from behind us.

"What is it you need now, young warlock?" I turned around to see a great dragon perched on the boulder. His eyes were giant and gold. The same color that Merlin's turns when he does magic.

"I told you," Merlin said sternly. He didn't seem to like this dragon very much. "I'm not here for myself. Jen is the one who needs the help." The warlock gestured towards me.

"Aw, yes," the dragon said with an all-knowing voice. "The girl who came here from another time, I presume?" he asked me. I nodded, half shocked that he already knew who I was. The dragon turned back to Merlin. "And I suppose that since you can't find away to send her back yourself, you want me to do something about it."

"It's something like that." Merlin said with a plain face. "So will you help?"

The dragon bowed his head. "I will not because I cannot. This is your destiny, Merlin. Jen can only go home when she has done what she has come here to do."

"And what's that?" I asked quickly.

The dragon flapped his wings, getting ready for takeoff. "That is for you to find out!" he yelled over the wind and he was out of sight without another word. I turned to Merlin.

"Is he always so vague?" I asked annoyed. Merlin seemed just as irritated as I was and nodded. I shivered from the thought that I might be here for longer than I would like. Merlin had misread my shiver and shrugged out of his jacked and put it over my shoulders to keep me warm.

"Thanks," I said quietly. He nodded slightly and led the way back out of the cave.

--

The day went on like any normal day in Camelot would- at least I think. The only thing was that I didn't see Arthur at all. Gaius had told me that his father held him up in some sort of meeting for a majority of the afternoon, so I helped out where I could.

The physician and the warlock were impressed by my makeshift cooking at dinner. It was a skill I had discovered when my mom didn't have time to cook dad and I supper when she got her new job. Although I was used to more advanced tools like microwaves and not wood and fire, I think I was able to do a fairly decent job.

It was just something that I had gotten from the kitchens like fresh bread and fruit. The berries that I had gotten I pulverized until the texture was just right. With the bread, I heated it up slightly by placing it over the fire for a few seconds, and then sliced the loaf into three pieces. After I did that, I was able to use the crushed berries as a sauce or jam to put on top of the warm bread.

The drinks were anything but gourmet. We had water. Gaius suggested this when I told him that I don't drink and that one sip of wine for Merlin and he would be "singing like a sailor" I think he said. Strangely enough, I could picture that perfectly…

The three of us had a great dinner. I had never seen Merlin laugh so much. I was grateful that I had made such a good friend so quickly. Merlin had even felt good enough to show me some of his magic for fun. It really was amazing what he could do!

When there was a hard and demanding knock on the door, all the humor and magic stopped instantly. With much authority Gaius said, "Come in."

Arthur stepped in looking somewhat solemn. He looked at Merlin, then at me. "Jennifer, the king wants a word." He informed me. Merlin froze at my side at the mention of the king.

I smiled and nodded. "I'll be back in a bit, Merlin." I said and Gaius gave me a nervous glance, but I ignored it and went to stand beside Arthur. "Okay, let's go." The prince nodded and held the door open for me. "So what does the king want?" I asked once he had closed the door.

Arthur sighed and began talking. "Did you mean it when you said I could talk to you if I needed to?" he asked ignoring my previous question.

"Of course I did."

"Come on." He took my arm and pulled me along side of him. He snuck past the guards, because- I was guessing- it was past curfew, though why he was sneaking around was beyond me. He was the prince after all.

We were in the courtyard and behind a barrel of hay before he stopped us. It was only then did I see what he was wearing. He was dressed in a baggy, off-white shirt with brown pants. It was not strange or weird, but different to see him like this.

A part of me knew what he was going to want to talk about, but the other half dreaded it. If it was what I thought and he wanted to talk about the incident that happened at the feast then I would make a mad dash for it. He was just a friend and that's all he could ever be, all I would ever let him be. I didn't exactly have much of a choice.

"Well?" I prompted.

He raised his eyebrows. "You don't know how hard it is for the Crown Prince of Camelot to express _honestly_ how he's feeling." He explained with a smile. I waited patiently for him to continue. Arthur took one final sigh before talking again.

"Whether you knew or not my father held me hostage today and I had to listen to the nobles chatter on and on about boring things." He rolled his eyes with a laugh. "After the meeting he wanted to talk to me about becoming king one day. He said that soon I would be taking over Camelot and its future would rest in my hands. My father expects that I will continue his persecution of those who use magic, but I don't think as much as he does that magic is all evil. I keep thinking about what you said to me. I want to actually do some research of my own about the Great Purge and even the time before that."

I was extremely impressed by this. "Why?" I asked.

"I don't want to rule off of ignorance like the way I think my father is doing." He said. Arthur ran his hand through his hair. "Ugh, this is just so complicated. I worry too much. I worry too much about if Camelot will be successful under my rein or if the people will like me or if I'll do a good job. It's just so much pressure."

"Yeah, it is. But do you want to know what I think?" I asked. He nodded eagerly. "I think that you will one day become the greatest king Camelot will ever see. The people _will_ love you and feel safe under your rein. You, Arthur Pendragon, will be such a better king than your father ever was. I promise you, Camelot will simply flourish with you as king. The people may even call you the Once and Future King!"

Arthur started laughing. "The _what_?" he insisted.

"Hey now, you won't be laughing when they call you that." I giggled. My laughing stopped and I got serious again. "I believe in you, and so does Merlin, and so does your father. Everyone in this kingdom believes in you."

"I hope you're right, and thank you." He said.

"Sure, and no more doubting yourself, right?" I challenged. He smiled and shook his head. "Good. Now, it's my turn to talk." I teased. "Merlin told me that you don't believe that I'm his cousin. _Why?_"

Arthur snorted. "You two don't look anything alike, to start."

"You don't have to look alike to be cousins."

"That's true, but, I don't know. There's just something about you, Jen. You're more confident than Merlin about talking to me. Yes, I'll admit that he's too comfortable talking to me, since he talks like we're equals, but you…" he trailed off.

"Uh, let's just leave it at that, okay?" I said before I totally ruined the cover story. At least I got some questions answered.

"You're hiding something, Jennifer." Arthur said pointing a finger at me. "I can see it and it's eating away at you."

I smiled a little as my heart began beating like a thousand drums. Did I just blow it? I looked down at my feet hoping the subject would change.

Luckily, it did. "We never did get to dance at the feast." He said.

"Yeah, I know." I whispered. I looked back up. I could see that Arthur was eager for a dance, and frankly so was I, but I had to keep this a friendship, not a relationship. "Well, I better get going. Gaius and Merlin are going to want to know what's taking so long." I smiled halfheartedly and turned around.

If my ears heard correctly, as I was walking away I might have heard Arthur murmur, "Sleep well."

**A/N: So, please tell me what you thought of this! It would be much appreciated and it would make me happy!**

**xoxoxo**


	6. One False Move

**A/N: Thank you all for the wonderful reviews that I have been getting! You all are fantastic, truly. They really make me keep writing! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin. It belongs to the BBC. I only own Jen.**

"What did the king want?" Gaius asked as I stepped in the room. I hadn't heard him right away. It took my brain a minute to comprehend what he had just asked me. "Jen?" the physician asked cautiously, dreading the worst.

"Oh, um, it was nothing important. He wanted to know if I had seen any magic or something like that recently." I lied. Gaius glanced at Merlin. "I told him that I hadn't." I reassured him. I could tell that Merlin knew I was lying. He nodded his head towards his room door and headed in there. I smiled at Gaius and followed Merlin into his small room.

Merlin sat down on his bed, so I did the same. He began the conversation. "Jen, what did the king want?" he asked with a sly smile.

"Oh, well I told you out there with Gaius." I said. He waited for me to continue. "Arthur led me down to the throne room. A servant left just as we entered carrying food for Uther. Once we got in there Uther simply asked me about any suspicious activity."

Merlin's sly smile got wider. He pointed his finger at me. "You're lying." He accused.

My mouth fell open. "I am not…" Then I broke. "How did you know?"

"You were being specific." He reminded me.

"Oh,"

"So what did Arthur want?" he asked me catching me off guard.

"Arthur, uh, just wanted to talk. That's all." I said. Merlin raised his eyebrows. "That's it! I promise!" I said raising my hands.

"Alright, alright," He chuckled giving up.

We both talked for the longest time. It was about anything that came to our minds. Merlin talked about how he discovered that he had magic (a very interesting story, indeed, at least to me).

"I was trying to help my friend Will." There was sorrow in his voice when his friend's name came up. "He was getting beat up by these kids. I ran over to them and shouted at them to stop, but of course they didn't and turned on me. I closed my eyes waiting for the punch, but it didn't happen. When my eyes opened, everything was in slow motion and I was able to move faster than them." He told me. His eyes gleamed as he told his story. "I kicked their asses so bad that they never messed with us again. The day after that happened I tried to do that strange thing again and it worked, but instead just slowing time, I moved objects, too." He said. "I was five."

There was so much enthusiasm in Merlin's voice; it was easy to get lost in his story. I was intrigued. He was getting awkward and decided to ask me a bunch of questions like what my technology is like. I tried to explain the iPod; though he couldn't grasp the concept of so much being in a little 'box' as he called it. It took a half hour for him to understand what a television was. Those two things were as far as I got until the clock struck midnight.

--

My eyes opened to the see the morning sunlight coming in through the foggy window. I sat up to observe the room I was in. The brown jacket that was placed over my shoulders fell down onto my lap. There was a door in front of the bed and a small cupboard over to the side and a Merlin lying on the right side on the floor. That's when it hit me; I had spent the night in Merlin's room! Shoot!

I looked down at Merlin, feeling very bad about taking the bed from this overworked boy. He looked very peaceful as he slept, I didn't dare wake him. Instead, I went out into the main room to greet Gaius.

"Good morning, Jen." Gaius said as I smoothed out the dress I had fallen asleep in. "Normally I would be getting Merlin up, but Arthur had come to me earlier saying he was going to give Merlin the morning off." He told me. I raised my eyebrows, shocked. "It must have been something that you said to him last night."

"What?"

Gaius smiled at me. "Anyone who's known Arthur as long as I have knows when he needs to talk to someone, despite his efforts in being the…" he searched for a word.

"Tough guy?" I offered.

"Precisely," Gaius said with a chuckle.

"Well, that was nice of him. Merlin and I were up kind of late last night." I said sitting down in a wooden chair.

"May I ask what on earth you were doing?"

"Talking," I smiled. Last night was definitely one of the most entertaining I've had.

Gaius nodded. He began fixing breakfast and turned me down when I offered to help. "You did enough last night." He told me. Feeling helpless, I sat back down. It wasn't long after that did Merlin come in through the door.

"Hey," he said to both of us. He was rubbing his head.

"Do you have a headache?" I asked as he nodded his head. "You, my friend, need some Advil!" I said receiving strange looks from both physician and warlock. "Modern medicine." I explained.

This got Gaius' attention. "Sometime soon you will need to sit down with me and tell me all about the advancements in science." He said.

Merlin groaned. "Just don't get her started on her technology. My brain hurt trying to understand how this telesession of Jen's worked."

I laughed. "It's a _television_, Merlin."

"Right, that's what I said." he teased.

"Arthur has given you the morning off, Merlin." Gaius said.

"Really?" the warlock asked. He was more shocked than I was. "Jen," Merlin said turning to me. "I have something to show you then that you might find interesting."

"Oh, Merlin," The physician sighed already knowing what Merlin wanted to show me.

"What? It's harmless!" Merlin exclaimed.

"Yes, harmless until Arthur or even Uther walks in on it!" Gaius scolded waving the spoon in his direction. That's when I knew what he was talking about; magic. Merlin shrugged. "I have no idea how that big head or yours stays on your shoulders." He said. "I have to go on my rounds. Be. Careful." Gaius warned sternly making the two words into two separate sentences, and left us.

Merlin gently pushed me back into the back room and shut the door. After it was shut he was still facing the door with his pale hand on the knob. "Merlin?" I asked warily.

He slowly turned around to face me, a huge smile on his face. "Do you want to see some _real_ magic?"

I laughed. "Sure."

The warlock got out his book and flipped through the pages using his magic. He looked up from the book once the pages stopped to see my mouth open. This made him smile. "Here we go." He said. "_Floscos orius petalian"_ he murmured. A red rose appeared out of thin air. There were sparkles all around it. Suddenly it fell onto the unmade bed. "It is simple magic." He said showing modesty, but the show wasn't over. The rose's petals came off of the flower and went high into the air. After dancing in a circle, the petals separated and went into a million tiny pieces. It made them look like a mini firework show like on the Fourth of July or our neighborhood on New Years' Eve!

"That was amazing!" I exclaimed. Merlin smiled with satisfaction. "All that happened because you said a few words!" I was amazed by the show that had just happened before my very eyes. "What was it again?"

"Oh," Merlin said and pointed to the spell in the book. "Floscos orius petalian" he said. The warlock gave me a curious look. "You do know that you probably can't do magic, right?"

I giggled. "Of course I know that! I was just curious." I leaned over his book to reread the words he had just spoken. I outstretched my hand for the fun of it as Merlin tried unsuccessfully to hold back a laugh. "_Floscos orius petalian"_ I said quietly. Just as I had suspected, nothing happened. "Worth a shot." I said to myself.

At that moment the door opened. Both Merlin and I had suspected it was Gaius coming home from his rounds, though it would be a bit too soon for him to be back already. Merlin didn't bother putting the book up and we simply turned to greet him.

Who it really was scared us half to dead.

It wasn't Gaius. There in the doorway was a tall, blond boy dressed in chainmail and armor. His mouth was open slightly and his hand on the sword hilt.

"Arthur," Merlin said with panic in his voice. The warlock knew that his secret had just been revealed to the Crown Prince of Camelot.

The prince remained silent, never taking his eyes off of me. A shiver went down my spine. This was it. It was my fault. Arthur had heard Merlin do magic and all because I was a curious fool. "Curiosity killed the cat." I didn't know how accurate that statement really was until now.

Merlin was exposed to his friend, Arthur. The future of this recent event was unpredictable.

"I don't want to believe it, but I can't deny what I had just heard." Arthur said quietly. Merlin went tense. I remained calm, waiting to see where this was going. "You lied to me." Merlin was about to defend himself when Arthur continued. "I thought you were my friend, Jen."

My eyes widened. Neither of us had been expecting that. Arthur drew his sword and pointed it at me.

"Arthur, you don't understand." Merlin said quickly.

"Shut up, Merlin. You're not going to defend her. I'll deal with the fact that you kept this from me later." Arthur said harshly to Merlin.

The warlock gave me a disbelieving look, but I gave him the don't-you-talk look. Merlin had to live for Camelot, for Arthur, for everyone to have a future.

Arthur put his sword up once he knew I wasn't going to put up a fight. My eyes closed as Arthur's strong hands closed around my arms, forcing me to stand up. He led me out the door. Merlin tried to follow, but the prince slammed the door in his face.

Without a word, we slowly descended down the stairs that led to a dark room where two guards were stationed. They both stood up quickly from their lazy positions when Arthur walked by. We stopped at an empty cell when he got out keys that I had never seen before. One of the guards came up to him.

"What is she in for, sire?" he asked with a bow.

"That's none of your concern, is it?" Arthur asked bluntly. He shook his head immediately. Arthur's grip on my arm loosened when the cell door was open and he pushed me in. "Just make sure she stays locked up." He said as he slipped the key back into the big lock to secure the door.

Arthur shot me a sad glance before leaving the dungeons without a second look back.

I was left alone and to deal with my thoughts. I knew two things; one was that I had to make sure that Merlin's magic was kept a secret from Arthur and all of Camelot. The second was that Arthur had the chance to run me through, but he didn't. He could have told that guard that I was being accused of sorcery, but he didn't. Why was that?

Perhaps he was on his way to tell the king this very moment, but that wasn't my main concern. My main thoughts were on what Arthur meant by "dealing" with his servant.

**A/N: Hehehe! Mini-cliffhanger! Please review this! It would be oh, so very appreciated!**

**xoxoxoxo**


	7. The Moment of Truth

**A/N: Wow, thank you all for your fantastic reviews! This took me longer to post than I intended, so I'm sorry about that. I got so excited today because my grade card came in the mail today and I got straight A's so I was rejoicing about that! :) Thus, I got inspired to write this chapter! So enjoy!**

**Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin. I only own Jen.**

My mind and heart were racing as I sat in the dark, dingy cell awaiting my fate. I hoped that I could solve the trouble I had caused. A cover story was in need, this I knew and surely Merlin knew it too. If only there was some way to contact him. If there was then I didn't know.

I pictured a thousand different ways that Arthur could be "dealing" with Merlin, none of them pretty. Surely Merlin would let me take the blame, though a part of me knew that he wouldn't. Perhaps I could come up with the story. Everyone knows I have the time. I'm trapped in a cell for goodness sake!

Okay, first off, Arthur had only_ heard_ the words I had spoken. He didn't hear Merlin say anything nor did he see anything. That was off to a good start. If Merlin hid the book, then I could make up the perfect story/ lie! So, if Merlin hid the book, then there would be no material evidence for him to see. Innocent until proven guilty, although, it seemed in Camelot it was guilty until proven otherwise.

A story started forming in my wondering mind. Since I was from the future I knew some Latin, because I am so well educated. I simply had told Merlin the words and had no idea that that language was used with magic! Perfect story, except for the tiny flaw; I had to tell him I was from the future. Of course, he would think I was crazy, not magical. I wished there was some way to prove it. I could tell him part of his future, but he wouldn't know if I was lying or telling the truth. No one knew their future, for it wasn't set in stone.

He wouldn't believe me in the first place, but how else could I prove that I was telling the truth? Merlin had said that my pants were a dead giveaway, though he was just teasing then. Ugh, I needed to talk to _someone_, Gaius, Merlin, _anyone_!

"Excuse us," a beautiful voice ordered. Not that someone!

I heard footsteps of the leaving guards as well as the ones of a certain prince. They got closer and I went tense. Was I going to tell him without evidence, solid proof, or later when I did have it? I listened harder. The prince wasn't alone. There was another pair walking with him. Could this be the king? As they were about to reach my cell, I lowered my head, trying to think.

"You have five minutes." Arthur said. My head shot up. Merlin was there next to a very stern, very angry Arthur. The prince walked a few feet away, muttering to himself and leaving Merlin and I to talk. I stood up.

"How are you?" Merlin asked quickly. I was taken aback. How was I? I was more concerned about him! There was nothing but worry in the boy's face. His big, blue orbs were staring down at me with great anxiety.

"I'm fine. How are you?" I asked a bit cautiously. "What did Arthur do?"

"I'm great, but I'm more nervous about you." He tensed when Arthur turned to stare at him.

I rolled my eyes to try and lighten the mood. "Don't be. I've been in worse cases than this before."

He paused. "So, you've had it worse than to be locked up in a cell wondering if you're going to die or not because the king hates magic and his son thinks you have magic? He asked.

"Okay, then no, but I'll be perfectly fine. And, you still haven't answered my question." He cocked his head. "What did Arthur do?" I asked sternly. Merlin chewed on his lip and looked down at his feet for the answer. "Merlin?" I asked.

"It's nothing." I waited. Merlin sighed. "He's threatening to sack me… among other things." He confessed. My mouth fell open. Arthur is such a prat! How could he do that after everything Merlin has done for him!? I was about to comment when he stopped me. "We need a cover story."

"Yeah, I've kind of got one." I hesitated.

"That's great! What is it?"

"Well, there's a small flaw to this plan." He waited. "I sort of have to tell him that I'm from the future." This time, Merlin's mouth fell open. He obviously thought I was crazy for even considering this. "Merlin, I have to. You have to survive and I want to be the one to take the fall on this one." He lowered his head. "Merlin," I got closer to him so Arthur wouldn't hear. "You have to go on to become the best warlock that there ever was. I'm just a girl who has gotten you into a wagonload of trouble."

"You have a life back home." He reminded me.

"Oh, yes," I said dramatically. "I'm so going to miss my job that pays me six bucks and hour and staying up till the wee hours of the night studying and eating Pringles." I smiled. "I'll be fine." I reassured him.

He nodded, knowing that I was right. "Do you have any proof?"

I shook my head. "Nope I don't."

"Then how are you going to convince him?"

"I will have to sound really, _really_ convincing." I put my hands on my hips.

"I hope that that's enough to…"

"MERLIN!" Arthur shouted, interrupting the warlock. Merlin gave me a concerned look before leaving the dungeons. The prince was still standing across the room from me, staring at me with pure anger. He began walking towards me and stopped in front of my cell.

"Prince Arthur," I said coolly. He frowned at my poker face.

"Jennifer," he breathed. "I didn't tell my father if that's what you're wondering. I just committed treason; now give me a good reason why I did. What do you have to say for yourself?"

I took in a deep breath. "I can't do magic. You misheard and didn't give me a chance to explain."

"Those were words of the Old Religion! Don't stand there, knowing that I went against my father, and tell me that you can't do magic!"

"Arthur Pendragon, I'm telling the truth! I have never been able to do magic! Hell, I didn't even know it existed until now!" I yelled, but the prince remained still.

"You're telling me that you never knew about magic?" he asked skeptically. I sighed. It was time for part of the truth to be set free.

"I'm well educated and know Latin." There was the lie, now the truth. "And I would know Latin because…"

"Yes?"

"I'm, uh," I laughed humorlessly. "I'm from the future."

Arthur laughed this time. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!"

"You know you're making this harder than it has to be." I scolded. My voiced sounded so serious and I fixed my face so that it showed no signs of humor whatsoever. "I am telling the truth. I made a wish and it brought me here." I vaguely explained. Arthur's laughter ceased immediately. He raised his eyebrows. "Look, I don't have any proof, but I wouldn't lie about something like this, even though I didn't even think I would _ever_ get myself into a situation like this."

I must have said something right. His expression softened. "You are serious?" I nodded. He thought about it for a minute, probably how my being from the future explains a lot. A small smile formed on my lips. Inside, I was rejoicing that be believed me. It seemed almost too good to be true. How could he believe me so fast?

"Arthur?" I asked hesitantly.

His eyes remained on the floor. "So all that stuff about me being a great king that was the truth, because you know what's going to happen?" he asked. I smiled and nodded a 'yes'. He went back into thought. "Hmm," the left side of his mouth lifted just a tad at the thought of being such a good ruler. "I don't know why, but I believe your story."

I let out a sigh of relief. "Good," Arthur carefully unlocked my cell door and gestured for me to get out. Cautiously, I put one foot in front of the other until he shut the door on the empty cell. Arthur and I were staring in each other's eyes. I wasn't a foot away from his muscular chest. I felt his heat warm me up in the cold dungeons of which we are standing. A grateful smile formed on my lips and I pulled him into an unexpected hug. "Thank you." I whispered into his ear.

Arthur pulled away. His face was stern again. "I'm not going to tell anyone, especially my father, but as long as you don't talk about it in front of me."

"Got it," I said. "It's strictly a need to know situation." I confirmed. Arthur nodded.

"I need to go train my knights."

"How long was I in there?" I asked pointing to the cell.

"Over night," he admitted with an apologizing smile.

"I see," I chewed on the side of my cheek. "Well, I guess I'll be seeing you later, _King_ Arthur." I curtsied to him and began walking up the stairs.

"Jen?" he called from the same spot he was in. "How many years?" of course I knew exactly what he was talking about.

"It's a need to know, and you don't!" I smiled a cheeky smile and happily walked away hearing the laughter of Arthur echoing through the dungeon walls.

I ran all the way back to Merlin's chambers with my skirts in hand. I swung the door open to find Merlin sitting at the table fiddling over something and Gaius mixing some liquids together. As soon Merlin saw me he got up and came over to pull me into a tight hug.

"Wow, maybe I should go home and come back a month later and see what kind of greeting I get." I teased. Merlin laughed and let go of me. Gaius even came over to pull me into an embrace before continuing his mixing.

"What did you tell him?" Merlin asked.

"The truth," his eyes widened. "Well, the part about me being from the future that is." I said putting him a little at ease. "He seems okay with it as long as I don't talk about it in front of him." Merlin bit his lip, thinking it all through. "He's out training his knights right now." I told him before I forgot.

"Alright, then I need to go clean his royal socks before he decides to have me sacked." he said.

"I'll help you!" he smiled at my offer and went out the door and set off for Arthur's always messy chambers.

When we got there, my mouth fell open. I couldn't believe how dirty it had gotten! There was clothes and armor everywhere and the bed was unmade. Merlin and I got to work right away, determined to get done before Arthur came back and to make sure Merlin keeps his job.

I picked up the clothes and washed them in a bucket that Merlin gave to me. Merlin magically dried them and I folded them to put back in the cupboards. Merlin polished the armor until I could see my reflection perfectly in the shiny metal plates. We got done in record speed and after making the bed we both sat down on it and began talking again.

"So, what are you going to do once you get home?" Merlin asked.

I thought about that for a minute. "Probably take three hours in the shower and use up all the hot water." I said. Although, Merlin had no idea what a shower was, he laughed with me. I tried my best to explain the shower which he caught onto pretty quickly.

"That would be nice to have here instead of hoping that his royal prat-ness likes the temperature of the water." He complained.

"Hope you're not talking about me." Arthur walked into the room taking off his armor. We both shook our heads, trying to hold back a laugh. "Then what are you talking about?"

"I thought you didn't want to know." I pointed out. Arthur's head shot up.

"You mean Merlin…"

"Yes I know!" Merlin exclaimed. "Why else would I let her pose as my cousin?"

"I see you have a hard time keeping secrets, Jennifer."Arthur said as he sat his helmet down on the table and came over to sit with us. As soon as he sat down next to me I Gibbs-slapped him. "Hey! What was that for?"

"I can keep a secret!" I said sharply.

"Alright, alright, truce!" he said with a laugh. I smiled with satisfaction. "I have to ask, are you a noble in your time?"

I rolled my eyes. "In my time we don't have that kind of thing, at least where I'm from."

Arthur was shocked. "Then who's your king?"

"That's the thing; in my country we don't have kings and queens. We elect our leaders."

Arthur shook his head.

"That's not the worst of it." Merlin said. "There's no chivalry from what she says."

"Is that true?" Arthur asked.

"Yep, mostly anyway, we don't have knights in shining armor or anything medieval like that." I said with an amused grin. Arthur's mouth was open the whole time.

"Okay, so tell me more." He said, now interested.

I smiled. My mind searched for other things that a prince might be interested in. "Well, let's see here…"

**A/N: Okay, for anyone who doesn't know, a Gibbs-slap is hitting someone hard upside the head.**

**Anywho- please tell me what you thought! It means the world to me, truly!**


	8. A Knight in the Woods

**A/N: Wow, thanks guys so much for all the wonderful feedback! I hope everyone had a great Christmas and Christmas break! The holidays are always so busy, though…**

**The next chapter has arrived! Enjoy!!!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin or anything else other than Jen.**

"Are you sure? Come on, just one more fact, Jen, please!" Arthur begged as we walked down to the stables. For two days straight Arthur had been bombarding me with futuristic questions. It seems today is no different.

The boys were getting ready to go hunting- much to Merlin's displeasure- for the druids. I could tell that Merlin was nervous, but as long as he led Arthur off course then all would be well. He said that some boy would recognize him and he didn't want to take that risk in front of Arthur. Most of Uther's men were searching the town for any sign of sorcery. Only three guards were going with us today. Merlin had persuaded me to go, too.

"I want to, but you know I can't." I said pouting into Merlin's shoulder. This was driving me insane! All the questions were alright, but the fact that I couldn't tell him much was the part that was giving me a headache.

"Arthur, I'd give up if I were you. She's real secretive about the future. She won't even tell me mine!" Merlin exclaimed with a laugh. I rolled my eyes at these persistent guys. Oh well, their mine.

Arthur stopped dead in his tracks. Merlin and I looked back to see what was holding up the prince. "So you're saying that _Merlin_ my _manservant_ made the history books?" he asked, perplexed. I put my hands on my hips.

"Yes, he did. Don't act so surprised!" I scolded. "You both are known as King Arthur and Merlin, your loyal w…" I glanced at Merlin as I realized what I was about to say. "_wise_ advisor," I can't believe that I almost said 'wizard'.

Arthur turned to Merlin. "You're my royal advisor?" The warlock nodded his head, trying to contain a laugh. He turned back to me. "Are you sure?"

I giggled. "Positive," Merlin scowled. "Now no more future stuff!" I declared. "That's an order."

"You can't exactly give orders to King Arthur." He grinned at me, his blue eyes sparkling; blond hair shining in the sunlight. Merlin snorted a laugh.

"There's where you're wrong. See, you're not king yet." I pointed out. "You're just a prince."

We reached the stables then and Merlin went inside to fetch the horses. Arthur stayed outside with me. I was wearing brown pants that Gwen had lent me. If I had to ride a horse, then it wouldn't be sidesaddle. My hair was tied up into a tight ponytail.

"Sire," Merlin said handing him the reins of the saddled horse. I looked over to see the guards mounting the horses along with Merlin and Arthur. I had my horse that Merlin gave me right next to me. It was saddled and ready, there was only one problem.

"Jen, aren't you coming?" Arthur looked down at me from his beautiful, brown horse. I looked up at him, my cheeks turning bright red. "Are you alright?"

I smiled. "Yeah, well, no," he waited. "I don't know how to ride a horse, let alone get _on_ one." I confessed. I heard the guards chuckled as Arthur shot them a scow. He jumped off of his horse and walked over to me.

"Let me help you." He grabbed my waist. His mouth went up to my ear so that only I could hear. "Do they not have horses in the future?" I smiled and turned my head so that we were less than an inch apart.

"I'll explain later, maybe."

Arthur chuckled and lifted me up. "Place your foot in there." He directed. My right foot slipped into the… stirrup I think it's called. "Grab this right here." He pointed to the horn. My hands grasped around it tightly. "Now swing your other leg over the horse." I was on the horse, nervous like hell, but still on the horse.

The horse seemed to sense my nerves and started acting up. Merlin rode over to my side and I saw his eyes flash gold when no one was looking. The animal began to calm down as he stroked its neck. I smiled a 'thanks' and we caught up with Arthur. He wanted me to ride next to him.

"Well, you don't know how to control a horse very well and I don't want you to get hurt." He said quickly.

Merlin rolled his eyes at Arthur. I simply smiled and went along with it, knowing that that was only part of the real reason.

It was getting too quiet for my taste. Don't get me wrong, I love the peace and silence, but this was just awkward.

"Jennifer," Arthur began, breaking the silence. "What do you know of the druids?" It had to be this subject?

Merlin shot me a worried glance. "Honestly, not much." I confessed. "Please explain."

"They are people who practice magic." Arthur said bluntly looking straight ahead. Merlin glanced at me with a nervous look. Arthur rode a bit closer to me when I raised my eyebrows. "The horse," he explained. "He was getting jumpy." Princes and their lame excuses! I rolled my eyes with a smile.

"Sure he was." I commented. "So why are we going?"

Arthur looked at me briefly, trying to think of an explanation, it seemed. "They are sorcerers." I raised my eyebrows. "And my father ordered us to find them, so later on we will be able to find them and…"

"Attack?" I finished. He nodded. "I see, I think."

"Yes I question his views and actions, but I can't do anything about it." He hung his head. "I'm almost positive that the druids are evil, so don't give me that look."

"What about the druid boy?" I asked skeptically. Arthur's head shot in my direction, instantly telling me to shut up. I could tell he was wondering how I knew about the druid boy. I thought that the guards were pretty far back and wouldn't hear anyway. They were at least ten feet behind- that's only because Arthur ordered them to stay behind. "Oh, they can't hear us."

"How did you know about that?" he asked, returning to his arrogant self. Merlin raised his hand.

"I told her." Arthur shook his head. "What? She was going to find out everything eventually." The warlock defended. "Frankly, I'm surprised that she didn't already know about that." Merlin looked back at the not-listening guards. "You know, since she _knows_ stuff."

"Mordred was a unique situation." Arthur said. As his chainmail clicked with his armor as the gears in my head started turning. There was something that he said… did he say 'Mordred'? Meaning that he is alive already?

"Mordred?" I asked quickly, before my imagination got the better of me.

"Yes, I thought Merlin told you everything." He chuckled.

"Apparently not everything." I said dully. Merlin saw me tense and came closer, making sure I was okay.

"You look worried." Arthur pointed out. I shrugged my shoulders and forced a smile. "Is there some future event that you're not telling me about?"

With all of my energy I forced myself to smile. "There are a lot of future events that I'm not telling you about." Arthur frowned. "I just thought that Mordred was your son."

This got both their attention. "My son?!" he exclaimed. "I don't know if you've noticed, Jen, but I'm not even married." Merlin was biting his lip, trying not to say anything. I reinforced that decision when I put my finger up to my lips telling Merlin to keep quiet about the whole marriage thing with Gwen and Morgana.

"Sorry, I told you, our legend apparently isn't completely correct." I said harsher than I intended. My mind was too focused on Mordred. Surely Merlin knows about Mordred. He is the greatest wizard of all time, so can't he tell when someone is evil?

Merlin touched my arm to get my attention. "Jen,"

I mouthed a 'later' to him and he reluctantly nodded. It seemed like he was regretting something.

"Who am I going to marry, while we are on the subject?" he asked.

"You're mad as a box of frogs if you think I'm going to tell you that!" I laughed.

"Fair enough," he gave in. "When you read about Camelot," Arthur said. He was choosing his words carefully and they were hard for him so say. "What did you think of King Arthur?" I giggled. "I uh, just want to get an idea of what I'm supposed to grow up to become."

"Right, well, I thought that he was brave and strong and cared for his people." I said. He nodded. I expect he wanted a better answer. "He also wasn't ignorant." This brought a grin to his face.

"What about Merlin?" he asked. I froze- well as much as one can freeze when you're on a horse.

"We don't need to talk about little old me." Merlin quickly said with a nervous smile.

"Don't you want to know?" Arthur asked skeptically.

"She already told me some parts, besides I think that we should change the subject."

"You're hiding something." Arthur pointed an accusing finger at him. "He's hiding something, isn't he?" he asked me. Merlin pursed his lips as I kept mine shut as tight as possible. "That's what I thought. I will find out, won't I?"

"Yes, you will find out… eventually." I looked over at Merlin. He was deep in thought.

"How bad can it be?" Arthur mused.

"It's not bad." Merlin put in. I looked over at him wondering if he was planning on telling Arthur now. I doubted it.

"Let's change the subject." I said earning a thankful grin from Merlin. I looked up at the horizon. It was getting dark quickly. The sun was disappearing behind the tall mountains creating a red-orange sky. It was a picture out of your wildest dream. I was mesmerized by it. Arthur saw this.

"Beautiful isn't it?" he asked still looking at me. I nodded. This was just like a scene from a movie, only this was real and more nerve-racking.

"It's, uh, getting pretty dark." I said changing the subject again. Arthur sighed.

"We should camp out here." He said loudly for the guards or knights or whoever was on this journey with us to hear. He jumped off his horse and helped me off. The knights started setting up their 'beds' for the night. Merlin tied up the horses and set up Arthur's bed. He almost did mine, too, but I told him I could do it myself.

"I've gone my whole life without a servant. I think I can survive making my _own_ bed." I teased glaring at Arthur. He rolled his eyes at me and I laughed.

I set up my blankets by a tree, giving myself significant space from the others. I laid my head down on my jacket that was doubling as a pillow. By now, the sun was down and darkness engulfed the area. There was one small fire burning with most of the guys sleeping around it. The wind started to pick up making an uncomfortable breeze. I pulled the blankets tighter around me.

"What are you doing all the way over here?" Arthur asked quietly. He sat down next to me. I sat up to get a better look at him. "We do have a fire going. You're more than welcome to its heat."

I smiled. "I just don't want anyone to hear me. I talk in my sleep."

"Really?" he asked, fiddling with a twig. "Do you say anything interesting?" I smacked his arm.

"Hey now!" I exclaimed. "There will be no listening in." he held his hands up in surrender.

"I'll try not to!"

"You _won't_ listen in, Arthur Pendragon." I said with a smile. A shiver when don't my spine as the wind blew harder and colder. "Geez, what's the wind chill?"

"Here," Arthur put his arm around me and pulled me closer. "Body heat," he explained awkwardly. I smiled and let it go. I grabbed the blanket and pulled it over the both of us. My head was now resting comfortably on his chest.

"This is nice." I commented. _"Kodak moment,"_ I thought.

"Are you sure that you should be getting involved with such an old man?" he teased.

"Oh, you're only about two thousand years old. That's nothing." I said, looking deep into his eyes, his soul. They widened a little, but returned to normal.

"Not old at all."

"No."

His head leaned down slightly and paused for a second when our lips were an inch apart. I lifted my head to let our lips touch. My mouth was getting hot and my cheeks boiled. Every inch of my body was tingling from this sensation. For now, he was mine. He was my knight in shining armor.

I heard Arthur faintly say, "Finally,"

--

I woke the next morning to Arthur stirring under me. His eyes opened to greet me. I suddenly went red at the thought of what he might have heard. He chuckled at my embarrassment. "What did I say?" I asked when I couldn't take it longer.

"You think that I'm 'hot'." He said. I bit my lip. "In my defense, you're very cold. Your feet froze me half to death. Besides, my temperature isn't that bad. It's perfectly normal, at least Gaius says." At this I burst out laughing. He gave me a questionable look.

"Oh man," I gasped for air. "I forgot that you wouldn't know _my_ meaning of the term 'hot'!" My laughing continued for another minute.

After about ten minutes I pulled my jacket back on and we all were on our way again. Arthur had to keep guessing the ways to turn and I was just hoping we were going the wrong way. Finally, we escaped from the dense forest and found our way out into the open.

"We need a faster way to get there." Arthur said more to himself.

"We need flying flamingos." I whispered, reliving my TV days. Arthur and Merlin heard me and their looks questioned my sanity. I shrugged.

Suddenly, we saw smoke rising from somewhere in the trees. Arthur pointed. "There,"

"But that could be anybody!" Merlin challenged.

"We are going to find out who exactly it is. And I'll bet it's the druids." Arthur turned his horse around and the knights followed. I went to ride next to Merlin.

"Is that them?" I asked.

Merlin lifted his head. His eyes were dark, but I could detect some fear in them. The raven-haired boy nodded his head once, and he rode off in Arthur's direction, both of us hoping he was wrong.

**A/N: Please tell me what you think! Reviews make my day!**

**Happy (early) New Year!!!**


	9. A Persuasion To Kill

**A/N: Thank you, thank you all my awesome and loyal reviewers! I'm so sorry that it takes me so long to update, but school is torture! You know how it is, so I won't waste your time telling you things you already have heard and experienced a hundred times, so here is the next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin, only Jen!**

I followed Arthur; teasing him about how the fire is probably someone passing through. Merlin kept smiling at my many failed attempts to persuade the prince to turn around and head another way. Arthur seemed to be getting annoyed and tried to get me to shut up. Me, being the stubborn girl that I am, didn't shut my mouth and kept teasing. Okay, so I was making the Crown Prince of Camelot feel like, well, crap, but it was for Merlin.

After another one of my jokes, Arthur stopped dead in his tracks. For a split second I was wondering if it was because the jokes finally got to him, but I knew that this couldn't-unfortunately- be the reason. Merlin and I slowly stopped our horses.

"What is it, Arthur?" I asked, honestly curious. He jumped off of his horse and bent down to touch the muddy ground. He traced the mud with his gloved hand, then stood back up looking north.

"There are tracks heading that way." He pointed to the new way we had to go. Merlin closed his eyes. Fear was closing in on us both. He got back on the tired mare and we began riding. We turned left. I had no idea how he knew where to turn, but when I asked him he said that he was following the tracks. When I looked closely at the ground I could make out faint indents, but I could barely see them at all! The trees were blocking most of the light from the sun.

Not long after did the tracks stop altogether. I breathed a silent sigh of relief, but not silent enough. Arthur looked at me smiling. "Don't worry, Jen, I wouldn't let the druids get to you." He teased. I smirked and was thinking of a witty comeback, for one was in dire need.

"Who says that they'll get to me?" Hey, it was the best I could come up with while panicking.

"Well, seeing as you can't fight…" Arthur pointed out.

"I've got Merlin!" I said gesturing to the entertained boy sitting on the horse next to me. Arthur barked a laugh.

"He can't even handle a sword, who says that he can fight?"

"Well, why can't I fight, as you said?" I challenged. Merlin smiled at this, or was he laughing…?

"Jennifer, it's not very ladylike."

"Merlin said that Morgana can fight."

"Morgana's…" Arthur fought for an explanation. "He's the king's word. She needs to know how to protect herself. That means she had to learn how to use a sword."

"I can't fight with a sword, but I can with my fists." This is somewhat true. My cousins were all boys and they loved to play tough with me. I pack a hard punch, but the actual fighting skills…

Arthur shook his head. "Girls in the fu-" he paused and glanced at his guards. "Girls where you come from don't have to be very proper, do they?" I rolled my eyes and was about to say something but a knight beat me to it.

"Sire," he spoke up. "It is noon and the horses need to rest and we need to eat." Arthur looked up at the sky and back down at the knight.

"You're right. We shall stop for half an hour, _only_." He glared at me. "There's a storm coming; clouds are rolling in." I looked up at the sky. The knights dismounted their horses and went to get the food we brought along. Arthur and Merlin got off as well and stared at me, who was still on my horse. "Is there a problem?" Arthur asked.

I kept looking at the sky. "How do you know that a storm is coming? You can't even see through the trees!" Arthur and the warlock chuckled and I rolled my eyes. He helped me off the animal and walked me over to the group. Merlin was smiling at the two of us. I smiled back and sat my head on Arthur's shoulder when the knights had their backs turned.

I leaned up against a tree and watched the knights dig into the food like vultures. Note to self: Don't expect much food when on long journeys with hungry men. I chuckled at how they were stuffing their faces and how Merlin was the only one eating somewhat civilized.

They finished eating and Arthur walked over to me. "You do know that you are allowed to eat, right?"

"Yeah, I know, but I'm not hungry, not really feeling like eating." I confessed.

"Then what _do_ you feel like doing?" he asked getting closer to me. I laughed and thought about that for a second.

"I'd love to wash up!" I said honestly. "I've never, ever gone this long without a shower or a bath or something like that! Plus, my hair is getting greasy!" I groaned and slid down until I was sitting on the tree's roots. "I miss technology." He sat down with me. "I never realized how dependent I was on the basic things." I looked at him. "My basics would be like heaven to you." He smiled.

"I'll get you home." Thunder began to rumble. "If you want to wash up, then I'd suggest you do it now." My eyes lit up. Did he mean it? "The storm is coming in and we will have to wait until it clears up, anyway."

"But how?" I asked. He stood up and held out a hand for me. I took it and he led us away, keeping his hand in mine. "Normally you would still keep going, storm or no storm."

He nodded his head from side to side. "Yeah, normally, but not this time." We walked in silence after that. Finally, we reached a river. Once we got there, Merlin came running up to us.

"What are you doing here?" Merlin asked out of breath.

"Jennifer is going to bathe." He informed his servant sternly.

"Wait, in a river?" I asked a bit skeptical. They boys nodded. "When in Rome…" I muttered. I pulled my hair out of its ponytail.

"We'll leave so you can get undressed." Arthur said pushing Merlin away.

"Undressed?" I asked shocked. They didn't really think that I would get undressed when there were boys all around me, did they?

"Yes," Apparently so.

"Okay, well don't leave. Just go stand behind a tree or something." I pleaded.

"Why? Are you scared of the druids or bandits finding you?" Arthur asked dead serious. I nodded, though I really just wanted the company. "Alright." He turned his back and walked slowly to a boulder.

Well, I decided to just strip down to my underwear and keep my undershirt on. It was the closest thing I had to a swimming suit. I dipped my toe in the water. It was freezing! With much bravery I jumped in the deep water with my arms wrapped tightly around my legs. I made a huge slash that rocked the once still river. All of the shiny fish swam away from the intruder in a hurry.

Instantly, I ducked under the crystal clear water and messed up my hair. I came up to get some much needed air and ran my fingers though my locks, smoothing them out.

"Are you still there?" I called.

"Yes, is anything wrong?" Arthur asked in a worried tone.

"Nope, but I think that it's about to rain." I said looking at the threatening clouds above us. Sure enough, the little droplets came down one by one until it was pouring. I went to the side to get out, but the mud was making it too slippery. "I can't get out!" I yelled over the rain.

In a second Arthur was in front of me. He grabbed my wrists and pulled me out. I grabbed my wet pants and jacket from the tree branch I left them on. My shoes and socks I was about to slip on when I saw Arthur just staring at me. "What?" I laughed. He shook his head with a crooked smile.

"We should probably get back." He pointed to the path. I nodded and slipped on my pants with much difficulty. "Why did you want to wear pants?" he asked out of the blue.

I looked up at him and shook the hair out of my face. "Oh, that's simple. I despise dresses." I smiled at his shocked expression. "I mean I can do the girl thing, but I prefer jeans and a simple shirt." I said as I pulled on my dripping jacket.

The prince seemed amused. The wind blew fiercely and the rain came down harder. The two of us ran back to the camp. Everyone was hiding under a huge tree. Merlin was looking at the sky, observing the lightening. Arthur pulled me under the tree.

"We shouldn't be here, you know?" I said looking at Merlin and Arthur. "The lightening could hit the tree and make it catch fire. Trees are like magnets for lightening." I explained. They exchanged looks, so I continued. "Lightening comes from the ground up and trees draw the lightening. You could be electrocuted and possibly die."

"Really?" the warlock asked. I nodded and he turned to Arthur. "Maybe we should…" he gestured to the center of the camp.

"Merlin, the whole forest is covered in trees." Arthur scolded Merlin and me. I grimaced. Looking over at Merlin, I saw him muttering something. At first I thought that it was over what Arthur had said. That's when I saw his eyes flash gold. "Aw, you see? The rain is already letting up." Arthur said cheerfully.

All the knights including the prince went to get on their horses and continue this exhausting journey. I went over to Merlin. "I saw that." I smiled.

His face lit up. "Saw what?" he teased. I laughed and got on my horse- without help this time, I might add!

The clouds were still there, but it was only drizzling. I felt my now curly hair frizzing up. This bothered me and I threw it back into a ponytail. My bangs started to curl, forming a curly queue on my left cheek. Man, I miss modern- er, future technology.

"There!" Arthur shouted in a whisper, breaking me out of my trance. "There's the druids." He said with excitement in his voice. My head shot up. Glancing at Merlin, I saw that he had a bleak face. My nerves took over, giving me a horrible stomach ache. I could only imagine how Merlin was feeling.

Arthur jumped down silently from the poor animal. He peeped through the bushes. I joined him along with Merlin. I could see tents set up everywhere. People were walking around doing everyday things; washing clothes, eating, taking care of kids. They didn't look evil, though looks can be deceiving. There was one dark haired boy that was at least a foot or so shorter than I was who was staring directly at our hiding place. His eyes seemed to tell me something, something… bad. They looked so ominous. Perhaps it was just a trick of the light.

I don't know who did it or how loud it really was, but someone stepped on a twig, causing it crack. Everyone in the little camp stopped and looked around in pure panic. Only one seemed to stay calm; the boy. One man walked over to the boy and he pointed directly at us. The older man began to slowly walk our way. Arthur drew his sword, ready for anything. The knights did the same.

Arthur charged forward. Why he did this instead of running or something else, I don't know. The knights followed his lead. _"Wow, sixty verses six,"_ I couldn't help but think. Suddenly, I found myself in the middle of the battle. I looked around furiously. One of the knights was already down. Merlin was hiding behind a tree, using his magic. I couldn't find Arthur anywhere! I turned around in circles. It all seemed to go down in slow motion. Out of nowhere, Arthur called my name. Finally, I caught sight of him. He tossed me a sword. I held it in my hands.

"How do I use it?" I shouted to him over the clinking metal and screaming.

"Swing it around without hurting yourself!" he yelled. I rolled my eyes and took in a deep breath.

"Okay," I mumbled. A druid- I think- came rushing up to me, ready to fight me, the weakest link. His sword was about to run me through when the instinct to survive took over. The sword in my hand shot up to block his from piercing my skin. That's when I did exactly what Arthur had told me to do. I twirled in a circle like I always see on TV with the weapon outstretched. It was pure luck that the sword hit the man and knocked him to the ground. I kicked his sword out of his hand.

I breathed a sigh of relief. My first fight and not a scratch on me! My mini celebration was cut short when the boy I had seen earlier came walking up to me.

"Hello, Jennifer." He greeted me like we were old pals. His smile was childish and friendly, but those eyes…

"Who are you?"

"I've been waiting for your arrival, we all have." He said still smiling.

"Who are you?" I repeated.

He took my hand and dragged me gently. "In good time," There was just something that made me willing to go with him, although my gut was screaming for me to run. He brought me into a tent that was on the edge of the clearing. There was nothing else in the tent except a small bed that he gestured for me sit down on. I did so, wondering where this was going.

"What's going on? What do you mean by you've 'been waiting my arrival' exactly?" I asked skeptically.

"To answer your first question, I am a druid that's destined to do great things for my people." He said. A dark smile lingered on his face. He got serious and walked over to me, taking my face in his tiny hands. "You have to help us." I frowned. "We have been waiting for you because you are the only one who can help me fulfill my destiny."

"And what's your destiny?" I asked, ready to leave.

"To kill the person whose father hunted my people for years," he said, his eyes getting darker. My mouth fell open. "I'm to kill Arthur Pendragon."

"What, why," I breathed. "Who _are_ you?" I demanded.

"I am Mordred."

Pure hatred washed through my body. I stood up and I raised my sword, ready to strike. Mordred beat me to it. He unleashed a concealed knife and pushed me down onto the bed. I tried to get up, but was unable to move. Mordred was looking down upon me, and in a second, the knife blade was at my throat.

**A/N: Oh, please review! They mean everything to me! A trillion hugs for all of you! :)**


	10. An Unexpected Reunion

**A/N: Tada! The next chapter is here! I must thank you all for your amazing reviews. It always makes my day to read them, really! You guys are so great!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin, but only Jen.**

"Help me, and I'll help you." Mordred said in his childish voice. Somehow that made it sound even more threatening. "I can get you back home, or you can stay and live with us." The knife was still at my throat. My heart was beating like a drum. I tried to steady my breathing, silently hoping that someone had heard or seen me come in here.

I shook my head. Mordred frowned but nodded. "I'll never help you." I said bravely as the knife pushed harder. I felt blood trickle down my neck, making a crimson stain on the bed.

"Jen, please," he gave me a face so filled with hurt, that it made me feel like I had just beat a puppy! "I don't want to have to kill you. We could do so much together. You could rule Camelot." He said trying to tempt me. Unfortunately for him, it wasn't working.

"Put the knife down and we can talk." I said, letting my voice get loud.

"I'm sorry, but you could run, and I can't let that happen." He shrugged. I closed my eyes, begging for Arthur or Merlin to come to my rescue. At that moment the curtain opened. My eyes shot open at the sound of footsteps.

"Mordred," My head turned to look at the stranger. He was tall and had jet black hair, wearing a red cape that clashed with his too pale skin.

"Barlow," he greeted the man. The boy pointed at me with a smile. "She's Jen. I did as you said." he said proudly. "I'm trying to get her to help us."

Barlow nodded. "Good, you will make us all proud, Mordred." He looked at me, inspecting me carefully, as if making sure I was the right person. "Are you having any luck?"

"No, she is clouded by her future knowledge." He informed Barlow. "Jen is proving to be stubborn." The man tilted his head and walked closer to me. He gestured for Mordred to put the knife away and he did so.

"She is out numbered; she will make no move to escape." He smiled ominously. "The girl knows about our power. She is not dumb enough to think that a sword can stop us." He tried to look into my eyes, but I shut them. "She will come around." He turned his back to me.

"I'm _not _going to help you!" I yelled. "I'm not dumb enough to do that." He turned back to me.

"How do you know that this isn't Arthur Pendragon's final battle that you know so much about?" he challenged. "How do you know that you aren't changing history by not helping us kill him? He does die in battle, does he not?"

"He dies _after_ he's married and has children. This is far from Arthur's last battle!" I spat at him. "He hasn't even married yet! How stupid do you think I am?"

Darkness engulfed Barlow. "Why you stubborn, foolish girl," he shot at me. I simply smiled. Looking at the curtain, I saw a shadow that was about Arthur's height. Good, he had heard me.

"Yes, I'm stubborn, but it proves to be helpful." I said still smiling. The shadow came closer until I saw a hand appear opening the curtain. I was about to yell my thanks to Arthur when I realized it wasn't Arthur, nor was it Merlin. In fact, I have no idea who it is.

Whoever it is, he had a sword pointed at Barlow. The druid picked up my sword and the fight began. I grabbed Mordred for him to get out of the way. I didn't know why I did that, but he gave off that innocent sense. I now see why Morgana took him in.

The unknown man was winning by a long shot. I was wondering why the druid wasn't using his magic, until I saw that he was, but it wasn't working. The unknown swordsman had an amulet around his neck. It was blocking the magic.

The battle didn't last long. Barlow was taken down and lay lifeless at the swordsman's feet. Mordred broke free from my grip and tried to grab for his amulet. I grabbed him by the arm and knocked him out cold. I let out a sigh, wondering if this man was good or bad.

He reached to take my hand. "It's alright, I won't hurt you. I saw him take you in here." He explained. He dropped his sword to his side as if to prove that he wasn't going to hurt me.

"Who are you?" I asked once my voice came back.

"I am Lancelot." He said pulling me out of the tent. The battle outside was far from over, but I could hardly concentrate on that.

"Wait, you're Lancelot, like _the_ Lancelot?" I asked astonished. He looked at me confused but nodded his head. I wasn't able to say anything else. He pulled me through the battle ground and got me to the other side safely. All the while, I only thought about how this man was the one who stole Gwen from Arthur, who betrayed his king. I never did like Lancelot and now here I am, being rescued by him.

Merlin came over to us from out of the bushes. "Lancelot?" he asked just as flabbergasted as I was. The knight nodded and smiled.

"It's nice to see you again, Merlin. I'm sorry it has to be like this, though." Lancelot said. I looked at them back and forth.

"You two know each other?" I asked shocked. They nodded.

"I've been using my magic the best I can, but I don't know how much longer I can go on." Merlin admitted. My eyes got wide.

"He knows?" "She knows?" Both of us chimed at the same time. If not for the seriousness of the matter Merlin would have laughed.

"Yes," he said simply. I crossed my arms and tapped my foot. "Are you alright, Jen?" Merlin asked me.

"Sure, never better," I said sarcastically, pointing with my eyes to Lancelot. Merlin narrowed his eyes in curiosity. "Later," I mouthed.

I heard the two of them discussing a plan, but all I could concentrate on was watching Arthur fight a man twice his age. He was more skilled than the prince and had more experience. I had to do something. I grabbed Lancelot's sword out of his hand and ran for it. I passed others who tried to get into a fight with me and I jumped over the bodies.

At last I reached Arthur. He was on the ground, about to get a sword plunged into his heart. I reacted fast and clashed my sword with his just as it was about to kill the prince. Arthur took this chance to get to his feet. With all my strength I fought him for five seconds. That's when Arthur took over again.

Lancelot raced over- with another sword he stole from a body- and he fought others that tried to kill us.

"Lancelot?" the prince asked shocked after he won the fight with the other man.

"You know him, too?" I asked.

"Yes I do, but I'm stunned you know him." Arthur said catching his breath.

"Of course I know him." I said giving him that duh-it's-future-knowledge kind of look. He nodded realizing what I was silently trying to tell him.

More druids stormed towards us. We backed up as they formed a mob. All four of us were in a tight circle on the edge of the camp. I grabbed Arthur's hand, needing it to comfort my nerves. He smiled a little, but turned his attention back to the approaching druids.

"I have to do something." Merlin whispered into my ear. I turned my head to look at him. He was being serious.

"You can't, Merlin." I said worried about what would happen to him.

"Jen, I have to!"

"But Arthur's here." I whispered back.

"I know."

I didn't have time to respond. The warlock pushed himself in front of Arthur. The prince was the only one who didn't understand his manservant's actions.

"Merlin, are you insane? You don't need to play hero when you aren't even armed." Arthur said harshly and tried to reposition himself to get in front of Merlin. I took his arm. Arthur turned around to see me shaking my head.

"Let him do this." I said calmly. Merlin turned back to me and gave me a reassuring nod. Arthur still was thinking that Merlin was committing suicide by not even having a sword, but he trusted my judgment and backed off.

Merlin gave Arthur a sorry look before turning back to the mob. They were coming at full speed now, ready to attack. The warlock stuck out his hand. He was focused and determined to save us, even if it did mean revealing his magic to Arthur. I felt so bad, but I knew that he wasn't going to die. Then again, this was a totally different Camelot than I know. Nobody knows what could happen. Lancelot discarded his amulet so that Merlin was able to do his magic.

"_Shiylio espe sentriy capona"_ he yelled. A clear, blue ball floated out about three feet before it stopped. It rapidly expanded until all four of us were inside the bubble. I chanced a look at Arthur, but instantly regretted it.

There was pure shock mixed with anger in his features. He wouldn't take his eyes off of the struggling warlock. I lowered my gaze and looked at my feet.

Merlin turned his head to look at us. "Go, run, now!" he yelled over the druids attempts to break through the weakening shield. "Go, I'll hold them as long as I can!" Lancelot nodded and headed off. I went up to him and kissed him on the cheek.

"Good luck," I whispered. He forced a smile and then pushed me along with his free hand.

"Go," he encouraged. I obeyed and grabbed Arthur's arm. He was still standing in the same place. Merlin saw this. "Arthur, go, get Jen out of here!" he ordered the prince.

Without a second glance back, Arthur dragged me away from Merlin. His face was serious and focused. He didn't say a word the whole way. Even when we reached a clearing that was pretty far away from the druids' campsite, he was silent. I sat down on a rock not taking my gaze off of the pacing prince.

Lancelot was leaning up against a tree looking at his feet, not daring to say anything. I wanted to break the tense silence, but I knew that I should keep quiet. It was for the best.

--

Night fell and he still hadn't said a word one. Arthur came over to sit by me. There was no fire, so that the druids couldn't find us as easily. "You knew, didn't you?" he asked bluntly.

"Yeah," I whispered.

Arthur stomped his foot on the ground in a fit of rage. He stood up and threw me a blanket. "Go to sleep." He ordered. Lancelot was already asleep. He was sitting against a tree.

"_Yes, sire."_ I thought sarcastically. I took the blanket and laid it out on the ground, and I laid on top of the thin cover. My eyes shut instantly, sending me into a world of dreams.

The crack of a twig woke me from my light sleep. I jumped to my feet. Arthur and Lancelot already had their swords in hand. We walked slowly to where we heard the sound. Out of the darkness came a tall, lanky figure.

Merlin walked out into the moonlight. He was tired and on the brink of collapse. I ran over to him and pulled him into a tight hug. His weak arms curled around me. He put his head on my shoulder. I pulled him lightly over to my blanket.

"Here, lay down." I said. Merlin nodded but wasn't able to make it all the way and sat against a boulder. I saw cuts and scrapes all over his hands and arms. "What happened?" I asked.

"You know me, I kept falling." He said with a grin. He was breathing heavily. "I think I lost them way back there." He struggled to say. I nodded with a smile and covered his mouth.

"No more talking. Get some rest." I patted him on the shoulder before standing up. I saw Arthur walking fast towards him. I thought that he was worried about what happened to his friend, but that was far from the truth.

What I hadn't seen was that he had his sword in hand. He grabbed Merlin by the neckerchief and dragged him to his feet. Arthur slammed him against a tree. Merlin wasn't even resisting. It was as if he was expecting this to happen.

"Arthur!" I yelled as he pushed Lancelot away and held his sword at Merlin's neck.

**A/N: Please, please,**_** please**_** tell me what you think!**

**Also, there are a lot of different versions of Camelot and the one I've grown up with is the one where Lancelot stole Gwen from Arthur after they were married, and she loved Arthur first. So, I've never liked Lancelot, but that's just me! :)**


	11. CSI: Camelot's Servant Investigator

**A/N: Sorry for the wait! I haven't had much time, but I wrote when I could and here is the 11****th**** chapter. I really hope that you guys like it. It took me a while to write, partly because I don't know where I'm going with this story. My muse has only told me the ending, not so much the middle…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin, not even the DVDs :( I only own Jen.**

Merlin shut his eyes, ready for the worst. Arthur was breathing with sweat trickling down his cheek. I took a step forward. The prince wasn't paying any attention to anything but his anger at Merlin. The warlock was breathing heavily, trying to keep the sword tip from piercing his skin. I could see him almost giving up on his hope that he and Arthur would still be friends. I, on the other hand, wouldn't give up, couldn't give up.

"Arthur," I said calmly. He glanced at me for a fraction of a second, but then turned back to his manservant. "Arthur, I know that you feel angry that he didn't tell you, but you know now." I said trying to knock some sense into him. "What other time could he have told you? This was as good of time as ever. He saved your life, remember? Just put the sword _down_."

"I can't." He panted.

"Please tell me why not?" I challenged.

"He has magic." Arthur said bluntly.

I sighed, trying to lighten the atmosphere. "Have I taught you nothing?" I asked with a nervous smile. "Not all magic is evil." Unfortunately, this didn't bring Arthur around. He didn't even say a thing, only closed his eyes.

Suddenly, after he was done thinking things over, his eyes shot open. He turned to look at me with hatred in his eyes. "How do I know that _you_ aren't evil?" I gasped.

"What?" I asked astonished.

"Arthur, are you crazy?" Merlin protested.

"You will be quiet." Arthur ordered, turning back to the trapped warlock. "How am I supposed to trust either of you again?" he yelled.

"Look Arthur," I said quietly. "You're getting paranoid. You know that I'm not evil and that Merlin isn't either." The prince looked from me to Merlin to Lancelot. The knight took a step back, giving Arthur more room. Lancelot seemed nice enough, but I still know what he's going to do.

"Do I?"

"You should know. Think about it. When has Merlin ever attempted to kill you? When has he ever not been loyal to you or not done one of your ridiculous orders?" Arthur lowered his head and his sword slowly dropped to the ground. Merlin sighed and sat down, breathing heavily. I walked over to him.

"Thanks," Merlin said with his dorky smile.

"Of course, it was my pleasure to help out the famous Merlin." I teased. He laughed and laid down on the ground.

"Is he ever going to forgive me?" he asked me, sorrow in his voice. "He's the best friend I've had… besides you, Jen."

"Yes, he is most definitely going to forgive you. I don't know when, I don't know where, but he is going to forgive you." I reassured him. He nodded and looked up at the sky. I laid down next to Merlin.

I got lost in the stars, staring at the Milky Way. The sky was so clear. It looked nothing like it does when you have city lights lighting up the streets and houses. I closed my eyes and found that I couldn't get back to sleep. I curled into a ball to warm my legs. Merlin got up and I heard footsteps on the ground. I opened my eyes when I heard talking.

"Is she asleep?" Arthur asked someone.

"Yeah," Merlin said quietly to not wake me up. I wondered if I should tell them that I wasn't sleeping at all, but I decided not to. I had a feeling that this conversation would be more interesting than the back of my eyelids. Someone poked the fire and the flames grew higher.

"Why didn't you tell me?" the prince asked bluntly. There was hurt in his voice.

"I just- Gaius didn't want me to, plus I didn't want you to have to pick between your father and your fr… servant." Merlin explained. One of the boys sighed. "I'm really sorry."

"Who's to say that I would've been on your side?" Arthur's cold voice asked. Silence fell. I was about to drift off to sleep when they started talking again. "You didn't tell me because I'm a prince." It wasn't a question.

"You have to understand, Arthur, I didn't know when I should tell you. It's not because you're a prince, it's just that your father hates magic." Merlin said. "I was going to tell you, honestly, I just didn't know how to." He finished.

"I suppose you're right."

"So… Are you okay with it?" Merlin asked a smile in his voice. There was a long pause. "I'm not evil. You said it yourself, Arthur, I can't even use a sword all that good!" He teased.

Arthur chuckled and threw a twig into the fire. "I'm not sure yet. I just got used to the idea that Jen came here from her home that's thousands of years ahead of us, and now I find out that my manservant is a sorcerer."

"Yeah, I understand, sort of." He smiled at Arthur. "But I prefer 'warlock' rather than 'sorcerer'." He explained.

"Why?"

"It makes me feel a little less like Emrys, and more like Merlin." He explained more to himself than to Arthur.

"Who's Emrys?"

"One thing at a time, Arthur," Merlin laughed. Arthur agreed and it was silent again.

"We will be going back to Camelot in the morning." Arthur said getting back into his prince façade. They stood up and went to their makeshift beds. I felt Merlin come back beside me, but this time he kept his distance. Quietly, I let out a yawn and was sent to the strange world of dreams.

--

When I woke up Arthur was already packing up while Merlin put out the fire. Lancelot was cleaning his sword. I sat up and stretched out my arms. They noticed me and Merlin came over to help me up, offering me a hand. I took it with a smile, hoping that last night's conversation wasn't a dream or just my imagination. Merlin gave me a small smile back and went to help out Arthur. They seemed to be keeping a close distance from each other and no one was talking. This was going to be an awkward trip home… er, I mean Camelot.

It was only five minutes later when I noticed that we had our horses. I thought that we had left them back at the druid's camp. Arthur saw my confused look and nodded his head towards Merlin. I nodded, understanding perfectly.

Arthur got up on his horse after us then began leading the way. I was in the middle of Merlin and Lancelot while Arthur was in the front, making a triangle. It felt like it had been hours of riding instead of minutes, but the sun had barely moved. The quietness of the trip was overwhelming! The birds weren't chirping and the horses weren't making any noise besides their stomping.

Finally, two hours past noon, the Camelot castle came into sight. We sped up our horses eager to get back to a warm bed and decent food. It was beautiful against the clouds and crystal blue sky. It was just how I imagined it when my mom read me the stories.

We were almost to the gates when Lancelot spoke up. "I can't go in there."

"Why not?" I asked harshly.

"It's a long story, My Lady." He said. I rolled my eyes. Arthur got into his pack and got out a light blue cloak. He tossed it to the knight. Lancelot slipped it on and we continued riding.

We reached the gates and the guards let us through. More guards on the inside took the horses from us after we got off.

"Merlin, may I go to your chambers before anyone recognizes me?" Lancelot asked. Merlin nodded and he and I followed Arthur into the castle and into the throne room. Uther stood up just as his son entered. The warlock and I went to stand in the corner.

"Arthur, I was getting worried." Uther said. "Where are the other knights?"

"The druids attacked us and they were killed." Arthur explained, not mentioning how we escaped.

"I'm so grateful that you made it. I'm sorry about your knights. They were brave men." Uther paused. "We had a battle of our own here."

"Sire?" his son stood up straight. He is always so formal with his father, I noticed. Then again, his father was the king.

"We captured a sorcerer yesterday, but he escaped." The king said solemnly.

"How did this happen?" Arthur asked.

"Come, I shall show you." The king led us all into the courtyard and all of the peasants bowed to the royal family. Uther brought us to a little gate that was blown off of its hinges. There were scorch marks on the bricks around it. The gate was leaning against the castle now.

"He used the tunnels." Arthur stated, examining it closer.

"As you can see, he was a powerful sorcerer. He must be found immediately." Uther boomed.

I took a step closer when I felt something underneath my left foot. I took my foot off of it to reveal a medieval version of a burnt out flare. The grass was concealing it up mostly. I picked it up to see the tip of it burnt black. A few feet from the flare, there was a piece of rope about a foot long. Next to the rope were horse tracks, hidden in by mud and grass.

I walked back to where Uther and everyone else were standing. "There will be no sorcery in my kingdom!" Uther declared. Arthur glanced at Merlin, but luckily Uther didn't see.

"I don't think there was." I said a little too loud. He turned to look at me as if I was crazy.

"What did you say?" he demanded.

"I said that I don't think this was caused by sorcery." I said with more confidence.

"Why you insolent girl!" he yelled. "You dare say that your king is wrong?"

"Yes," I said calmly. Our group gasped at my comment. "I found this right here. Its tip is burnt. This could be the item that turned the stone around the gate black. There is a piece of rope over there." I pointed to said spot. "In the same place there are horse tracks in the mud." I explained, ignoring Uther's harsh looks. "I think that that your prisoner had an accomplice. They used a rope to rip the gate off and rode off on the horse. They made it look like he escaped using magic, but I doubt that the prisoner was a real sorcerer. He just knew your hate for magic, so made it appear that he had magic."

"Please, enlighten me. Why would he try to prove himself guilty if he was innocent?" Uther asked challenging my theory. I knew that he didn't like a peasant, or a woman at that, questioning him, but I had evidence and I was going to prove myself right.

"He wanted to distract you from some bigger picture or he just wanted you to fear him, so he made himself look all powerful." I stated.

"I don't fear sorcerers." He sneered.

"Well, then he wants you to or something." I said shrugging. "That's just the evidence with an added opinion. Do with it what you want."

Uther began to consider this new theory. "How did you find out all of this?" he asked.

"I'm observant." I smiled.

Uther nodded and walked away without another word. Arthur walked over to me. "You know he could have had you thrown in the dungeons for speaking out like that. You're not noble and a woman no less." He reminded me.

"I know!" I smiled. Both boys laughed at me. We walked to Gaius, knowing he would be worried. I knocked on the door before coming in. "Hey, Gaius." I said as the physician came over to Merlin and me and pulled us into a hug.

"I was getting worried. I asked Lancelot where you were." He smiled. When he saw Arthur he stepped back. "Sire," he bowed his head. Arthur stepped into the room with his arms crossed and sat down next to Lancelot.

"It is fine, Gaius, I know." Arthur said staring at the man. Gaius looked at Merlin and me before Arthur continued. "I know about them both. Merlin's a sorc… _warlock_," Arthur teased Merlin. "And Jen's from the future." The physician's eyes widened. Lancelot looked at me skeptically. I shrugged.

"He was going to find out anyway." Merlin said to Gaius.

"Of course I was! You're lies were getting too unbelievable." Arthur laughed. "Plus, Jen was too cocky for a normal peasant girl." Lancelot chuckled.

"That's true." I said smiling.

"And she said that Uther was wrong to his face." Merlin said to Gaius.

"She did what?" he asked, then turned to me. "You did what?" Arthur chuckled at Gaius' reaction.

"What? He was wrong and I had the evidence to prove it." I said as I shrugged it off. He shook his head and turned back to his work. I sat down next to Arthur and he put his arm around me. When Gaius turned to ask something he saw the prince and me. He glanced at Merlin for an answer to why Prince Arthur had me in his embrace. The warlock smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

"You did amazing back there with my father." Arthur whispered.

"Thanks. Maybe I should become a CSI." I said pondering over the idea. I saw that he had no idea what I was talking about. "It stands for Crime Scene Investigator." I explained. He still looked confused. I laughed. "Never mind," Gaius left to go and run some medicine to someone and Merlin went with him after giving us a wink. I giggled. Lancelot excused himself into Merlin's room.

"I'm sorry I lost my temper last night." He said even quieter, even though no one was around.

"Don't worry about it." I said. "Are you still mad at Merlin?"

"A bit, yes," he admitted. "What is it with you and Lancelot." He asked changing the subject.

I rolled my eyes again. "I told you, I can't tell you! I've always had issues with him." I said darkly. "Sir Lancelot is just… Ugh!" I continued.

"Wait, _Sir_ Lancelot? You mean he's one of my knights, or will be, that is?" he asked, almost hopeful.

"I'm not saying." I smiled. "But he is in the legend and he's just never been my favorite character."

"So who all is in your legend?" he asked.

"Well, there is King Arthur, Merlin, Lancelot, Morgana, Gwen…"

"You say Guinevere is in it?" he asked disbelieving. Even though I was extremely jealous of Gwen, it really was cute how he said her name, even if he doesn't know that he loves her yet.

"Yes, Gwen is in it!" I said laughing at his shock.

"Hmm, odd," he said.

The two of us got up and walked hand-in-hand to my room. He came in and shut the door. He held my hands and we just stood there. Looked around my room and saw the parchment that I had written on before. I had a sudden urge to write more about my recent adventures in Camelot.

"I am kicking you out now, because I have things to do." I said tapping his chest with my finger.

"You're ordering the prince around now?" he smiled.

"You bet I am." I said pushing him out. "See you tomorrow." I said closing the door watching him walk away. "Oh, Arthur," he turned to face me from halfway down the hall. "Don't be too hard on Merlin." He nodded and walked away. I closed the door and sighed.

I went over to my bed and grabbed the quill and paper to begin the second chapter of the real legend of Camelot.

**A/N: Wow, long chapter! Oh please tell me what you think, it seriously means the world to me! You are the best! Please review!!!!**


	12. The Unexpected

**A/N: Thank you guys so much for your fantastic reviews! Please keep them coming, I'd really appreciate it! Thanks to all from the bottom of my heart! Here is the next chapter. It is shorter than the others, but I decided that a cliff-hanger was in order, so I stopped early. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin or any of its characters. I only own Jen, since she's my OC and I made her up when I got bored.**

It was the next morning by the time I had woken up. I was fully awake, but I had my eyes closed. Last night I had the weirdest dream! I was in Camelot with Arthur and Merlin and Lancelot. I laughed at my silliness. Time travel is impossible, Jen!

"What's so funny?" a soft, sweet voice asked. My eyes shot open and I sat up to see Guinevere sitting my breakfast tray on a table. She was wearing a yellow dress and was smiling brightly. I couldn't help but smile back. Now I felt foolish for thinking that I dreamt my trip to Camelot up. Even I wasn't that creative, although I did once have a dream that I was on a date with Connor Temple in the Canary Islands…

"I heard that the search didn't go very good." Gwen commented when I didn't answer her first question.

"Thanks for the meal, but no, the trip didn't go very good. We ran into some… road blocks." I said, not daring to mention Lancelot. Looking around my room I saw a sword on my table. "What's that doing in here?" I asked while scratching my messy hair.

"Oh, Arthur wanted me to tell you to meet him in down at his usual training place today at noon." Gwen told me. "When I asked why he just said that he though your swordsmanship needed work. He must really care for you." She smiled at me and winked. "Good luck." The future queen walked out of the room and I laid back and buried my face in my pillow.

I can't believe I'm flirting with her future husband and future king of Camelot! Goodness, my parents didn't want me to date anyone who was more than a year older than me and here I am, in Camelot, falling in love with a man who's about two thousand years older than me! What am I thinking? That's just it; I'm not.

I took a glance at the big clock on the outside of my room window. It was almost noon, so I got moving. I slipped on some pants and my tank-top. I had a feeling that I was going to be getting hot so I also pulled my hair up, grabbed a bite of bread and walked out the door with the sword in hand. This was going to be interesting. I was getting sword training from King Arthur himself. How many people- that are alive- can say that?

When I got to his training field, I heard yelling. My heart raced.

"I can't believe you kept that from me!" Arthur yelled.

"I'm sorry, but you looked mad. It wasn't exactly the best time to say anything." Merlin defended.

"I told you different things that I would never tell anyone else. How could you keep this big secret from me?" the prince shot again. I decided I should probably step in before a guard heard their little quarrel.

"Hey, hey, hey, what's all this about?" I asked swinging the sword around. They stopped instantly to face me, looking ashamed. "I thought we were over the whole 'my friend's a warlock' deal." I said still walking closer. "Now are we going to practice or what?"

Arthur smiled a perfect, beautiful smile and nodded. He grabbed his sword without even a look at Merlin who was standing over to the side, watching.

**(A/N: I'm sorry for the train wreck that's about to happen. I don't know anything about sword fighting.)** I held the weapon tightly in my hands, not wanting to make the first move. Arthur circled me, examining me, looking for a weakness. I glance at Merlin. "Help me" I mouthed. He chuckled and shook his head.

"What are you waiting for?" Arthur laughed. "Come at me!" he ordered holding his arms out.

"I could do that only too easily." I breathed too low for him to hear, but Merlin heard and cracked up. "Shut up, Merlin." I said blushing. This only made him laugh harder.

Finally, I gave in and swung the sword towards him. The attack was blocked by his blade that immediately swung upright to catch my blade. Our swords were making an X shape inches from our faces. It was that scene that you always see in the movies where your eyes meet and you're paralyzed for seconds before the guy always breaks you out of the trance.

"Not bad." He coughed. I smiled and we began walking in a circle, pondering over who was going to do what and when. This time he took a strike, but it was with little force. I easily blocked it, but it was too easy. I was so nervous, though, so I was glad he wasn't going full force on me.

I tensed on the next swing and hesitated. Arthur noticed and stopped. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, just a bit edgy, that's all." I admitted. From the corner of my eye I saw Merlin walk over.

"Here," the warlock said holding his hand out, reaching for my sword. I gave it to him and he turned his back. I heard him muttering a few words. When he gave it back to me he was smiling.

"What did you do to it?" Arthur asked skeptically, no humor was in his voice. Either he was really serious when it came to swords or he was still mad. "You can't just use… you know… whenever you want!" he hissed.

"Magic isn't a naughty word, Arthur." I teased. Merlin whispered something into Arthur's ear and the prince smiled.

"You're smarter than you look." He complimented, at least, I think it was a compliment. Arthur turned back to me and pointed to my sword. "I think you might find that you will be better, now." I tilted my head in curiosity. He just smiled and gestured for me to continue fighting.

I had a fraction of a second to wonder what possibly Merlin could have done to my sword before Arthur swung at me, fast and hard. My instincts and the will to survive kicked in. My weapon blocked his shot with great force. I swung around to strike, but that was blocked by Arthur. He swung low and I jumped to avoid the blade. His techniques were getting more and more complicated and harder to avoid.

At last, I had met my match and he knocked my sword out of my and. It fell to the ground three feet away. "Dang!" I exclaimed. Looking at Merlin I said, "That was a good spell. It felt amazing!" I was smiling at the warlock when both the boys started to laugh.

"Jen," Arthur started. "That was all you."

"I didn't put any spell on you or the sword." Merlin admitted. "I made you think I did so that you would think that it would help you, and it did, only without the assistance of magic." Merlin paused. "If that made sense," He was still wearing a beaming smile. I couldn't help but smile back.

"Well, thanks anyway." I wasn't going to get mad. It was too early to be mad, especially at Merlin. Arthur walked over to my side. That's when I remembered something. "So, where's Lancelot?"

"He's helping Gaius with a remedy or something." Merlin said looking at the castle.

"It's a shame." Arthur murmured. "He should be out here training. He's a good knight."

My mouth fell open. If only he knew what he was saying…?

"Ha!" I laughed. They looked at me curiously. "Sorry," I whispered. "You know, I think we should-"

I was interrupted by two dark figures on the edge of the forest, dressed in dark cloaks. They were barely noticeable, but even in the darkness, they looked threatening. Merlin and Arthur stared in the direction that had caught my attention. By the look on their faces, they could see the ominous figures, too.

The tallest one of the two gestured for all three of us to walk over to them. Slowly, we made our way to the dark and shady area. Arthur had his sword held tightly in his hand, readying himself for anything. Merlin was close at his heal while I kept my sword in both my hands so that I don't drop it.

Finally, after what seemed like a mile walk, we made it to the figures. I tried to show some courage, but it was hard. Up close it became clear that both of them were druids. I gulped.

"What do you want?" Arthur spoke up.

The shorter one smiled. "Simple, we want Jennifer to come back with us." Arthur and Merlin shot me a look.

"No," the prince and warlock said simultaneously. Arthur held his sword up higher.

"You don't really think that you can beat us with a sword, do you?" the short one laughed. Arthur glanced at Merlin and the warlock nodded. The druids laughed.

"Emrys, surely you can understand our purpose." The tall one said. Merlin shook his head.

"No, I can't." He said sternly. "You aren't going to get Jen."

"What do you want with me?" I asked suddenly, thankful that Mordred wasn't here.

"I think you already know." The short one said. My eyes narrowed.

Arthur pushed himself forward so that he was between the druid and me. "You aren't getting her." He said nodding at Merlin. The warlock raised his hand slightly. The druids simply laughed again.

"Now you don't really want to expose Emrys to your kingdom, do you? You're father would kill him in an instant." He said with malice in his voice. Arthur lowered his head. "You probably haven't told your father only because you're going to use the boy until he snaps." He shot to the prince.

Merlin got beyond furious, and you don't want to mess with the most powerful warlock ever. "_Peragere ad homi-"_ he stared, but Arthur grabbed his wrist and lowered his arm, shaking his head. Merlin nodded and I smiled at him.

"Someone could see you, Merlin." Arthur whispered.

"But," he protested, but dropped the argument.

"You aren't going to get her, is that clear?" Arthur asked, putting on his prince façade.

Suddenly, one of the druids grabbed me. When Arthur was about to strike him where he was standing, the sorcerer showed him the knife that he had at my side, poking through my thin shirt. "You either let her go and she will be returned safely, or come any closer and she dies!" he warned.

Fear seeped into the prince's eyes as he stood frozen. "I'll be fine." I said in a quivering voice.

"Jen, I can't let you…" he said taking exactly one step closer.

The druid jabbed the knife into my ribs, twisting it back and forth. The pain was so intense, but I tried not to scream for Merlin and Arthur's sake. I watched as all the blood drained from Arthur's face and how Merlin fell to his knees. The scene in front of me was getting dimmer by the second, but I had to hold on.

"I warned you not to come any closer." The druid that had hold of my limp body said with an evil grin. I saw was a single tear trickling down Arthur's pale face, yelling desperately for me to hold on, but I couldn't hear him. I could only see his mouth moving without any sound coming out.

Arthur was about to attack the druid but Merlin held him back, knowing a sword just wouldn't be enough to go up against magic with. I saw the prince shut his eyes before I was sucked down into the deep, dark depths to face Death himself.

**A/N: Oh, please tell me how it was and what you thought! I love reviews; they are what make the world go round!**


	13. Little Hints in Simple Conversations

**A/N: Wow, you guys are the best! Thanks for those who reviewed. This chapter is for you! I was super bored today so I decided to work on this chapter and now I get it posted early! There isn't a cliff hanger; at least I don't think there is. I guess it depends on what your opinion of a cliff hanger is.**

**Disclaimer: Merlin isn't mine, unfortunately and probably never will be. I only own my OC, Jen.**

It was like floating on a cloud. Everything was just a blur. I wasn't able to make much out, only a bright light. My hand outstretched to touch the glow. It was just so beautiful…

Suddenly, I was pulled-or rather tugged- away from the mesmerizing scene. Now, everything was clear, even the pain. I could hear someone screaming bloody murder. It was getting on my nerves. My throat started to hurt, and I realized it was me who was the one screaming. My shrieking ceased as the pain slowly went away. I reached for my side, trying to put pressure on the wound. My fingers searched for the whole in my side, but found nothing but a small, soft hand.

My eyes opened to see Mordred holding my hand trying to calm me. "Slow breaths, Jen. It's going to take a while for you to get your energy back." He told me, patting my head. I leaned back and groaned.

"What happened?" I asked. "I thought I was dead."

He smiled. "You were, well sort of. You were on the brink of death. I brought you back after Casern stabbed you with the knife that he enchanted." He said, pleased with himself. "I wouldn't have been able to heal you if it was just some regular knife. Now I can take care of you and then you can return the favor by helping me out." the little boy explained and sat down next to me. I noticed that I was on a hard bed inside another tent.

"My friends are going to find me. They know where we are." I breathed, not able to project my voice.

"Oh, no they won't. See, after Arthur invaded, we moved so that they couldn't find us again." He said, trying to make himself look intelligent. "With magic, anything's possible." I smiled. He was right, there. I sat up and put my feet on the floor. This simple task took all my energy to do. "I told you." Mordred said, rolling his eyes. "You need to rest. Almost dying can take a lot out of you."

I laughed once and tried to stand up unsuccessfully. My butt slammed back down on the bed, giving me a new pain to worry about. "Healing is advanced magic and you haven't even thanked me yet." Mordred complained.

"I wouldn't have to thank you if your people hadn't kidnapped me!" I said, making eye contact. This didn't seem to have any affected him at all. Mordred shrugged and walked over to a chair to sit down. He closed his eyes and sat perfectly still. Just then, a man walked into the tent. He was tall with platinum blonde hair. His eyes were almost grey, yet so mesmerizing. He was kind of… beautiful.

"Mordred, you called." The man said with a smile. His voice was so soothing, not cold like all the other druids' voices. Mordred nodded and pointed at me. "I see you have Jennifer. Welcome." He greeted. "I am Cameron." Cameron said. I remained quiet and he sighed. "I hear that you are close friends with Emrys and Prince Arthur, but you know him by _King_ Arthur. Is this true?"

I nodded turned my head. They weren't going to get information from me no matter what. I had to be strong.

_Back at Camelot…_

Arthur paced his room, agitating Merlin. The prince had been blaming himself for Jen's death all day, even though the warlock had been telling him that she couldn't be dead.

"How can you be so sure?" Arthur snapped. Merlin rolled his eyes. He noticed that his servant had gotten some backbone around him. It was probably because all the secrets were out and he no longer had to play dumb.

"Arthur, think about it." Merlin ordered. He was starting to wish that there was some convincing spell. "If they needed Jen to help them, then they wouldn't have killed her." He said.

"Unless, by killing her it did help them," Arthur said. Merlin gave him that really-Arthur-really kind of look. "They could've got any information out of her head or something. They practice magic, Merlin, they're evil." Arthur blurted out before he realized what he said. Merlin nodded solemnly and looked down at the floor. Arthur looked at the warlock.

"So, you still think that?" Merlin asked.

Arthur sighed. "No, I'm sorry, Merlin. I didn't mean that you're evil, just…" he struggled for words. "You know what I mean. I don't think like my father. You can thank Jen for part of that." He smiled. Merlin sat down in a chair.

"Arthur, sit down. You're pacing is making me nervous." Merlin ordered. He said this with so much authority that the prince had no choice but to obey. He sat on his bed and put his head in his hands. Merlin looked out the window, hoping the answer to their problems was in the clouds.

"We have to go back to the camp and get her." Arthur bluntly commented.

"No, they would have moved by now. The druids wouldn't risk Uther finding them." Merlin informed his friend.

"They seemed pretty friendly with you. You are just like them, so why don't you _like_ them?" Arthur asked. "Oh and why did they call you 'Emrys'?"

Merlin shook his head. "I'll tell you later. Now we need to focus." The prince nodded and it became silent, both boys lost in thought.

There was a knock at Arthur's door. Whoever it was didn't wait for permission to enter, just came in. Morgana stepped into the room with a worried look. Merlin stood up from his chair when she came in where as Arthur just stayed on the bed, staring at Merlin like he was crazy.

"Lady Morgana," Merlin said with a smile.

"Hello, Merlin." Morgana greeted back. The blonde prince looked at Merlin and Morgana.

"Is there something…?" Arthur started, pointing at the servant and ward.

"What? No!" They both chimed.

"Uh, huh," Arthur said standing up and then leaning against the wall. "Then can we get back to the topic at hand. Morgana, if you don't mind, can you please leave?"

"Actually, I do mind." Morgana said standing up straight. Arthur sighed.

"Look, Morgana, you really need to go-"

"I saw from my window what happened with the druids." She said suddenly. Merlin and Arthur exchanged worried looks. "I saw them stab Jen and then take off." Merlin breathed a sigh of relief and Arthur winced at the memory. "Lancelot," she called quietly. The boy's ears perked up. The tall and handsome ex-knight stepped into the room. "I want to help and so does he."

"How did you know he was here?" Arthur asked.

"I went to see Gaius earlier about Jen and I saw him." she explained. Lancelot stepped closer to Merlin, feeling a bit awkward in the presence of the prince of Camelot.

"My Lord," Lancelot bowed his head. Arthur just smiled a little. Titles weren't important to him right now. "I will help in any way I can." He said holding his sword in his hands.

"Thank you, Lancelot. We appreciate it." Arthur said, not pleased that they weren't focused on a plan, but standing around talking. Merlin could sense the prince's annoyed mood and spoke up.

"I think we need to work on a plan." Merlin said clapping his hands together.

"Morgana, you can go now." Arthur said, aggravated.

She was taken aback. "I think that there has been some error with our communication. I'm helping!" she exclaimed.

Merlin froze. "Morgana, say that again."

"I'm helping." She said for the second time, a bit confused.

"No, what you said before."

"There's been an error with our communication?"

"YES!" Merlin said, practically jumping up and down. He was beaming with a smile that touched his eyes. "I've got it!" Arthur gave him a questioning look. Merlin mouthed 'magic' to Arthur and he caught on.

"Morgana, you really need to leave now." Arthur said. The king's ward shook her head, being her stubborn self.

"I'm not going anywhere." She said, standing her ground.

"Arthur, she's going to find out, anyway." Merlin said. "I should tell her."

"Merlin, you really are an idiot. You can't tell Morgana!" Arthur protested.

"She deserves to know." Merlin said.

"If we tell her, who knows what could happen?"

"Tell me what?!" Morgana exclaimed, losing her temper.

Merlin, Arthur, and Lancelot exchanged looks. "Morgana, we will tell you later, just not now. We have to get back to work. Just go to bed or do whatever women do at this hour." Arthur said. She looked at Merlin and he nodded.

"I will tell you, Morgana." He assured her.

"Alright, but I'm holding you to your word." she said. Morgana turned her back and walked out, shutting the wooden door behind her.

Arthur turned to his servant. "Now, Merlin, what's this about communication?"

_Back to the Druid's Camp…_

Night fell and Cameron still hadn't gotten anything out of me. I wasn't going to break suddenly like they were counting on. I was stronger than that, for goodness sake! Hell, I'm from the future. I didn't break when I had four essays, a book report, and two pages of math homework to do, and I won't break now.

They had given me my own tent in the middle of their new camp, that way if I tried to make a run for it, they could catch me easily, or so Cameron says. I've been tempted to try, but I was still too weak.

My thoughts turned to Merlin and Arthur. They probably thought I was dead and weren't looking for me because why look for a lifeless body? I had told Mordred and Cameron several times that my friends would find me, but by the twentieth time I began to doubt my own words. If they believed that I was dead, then all hope was lost.

There was something about Cameron, though. When he was interrogating me- or at least that's what it felt like- it was almost as if he was hinting something to me, but I was probably getting too observant. I began to recall what he was saying to me.

"Now Jen, did you know that time travel is very advanced magic?" I had turned my head away. "Are we _communicating, _here?" he had said when I didn't answer. When I looked at him, it was as if he was telling me something with his eyes.

I flashed back to reality when someone walked into my tent. It was Cameron.

I groaned.

"Jen," he said urgently. "I couldn't tell you before with Mordred here, but I can now." He began to whisper. "Emrys, or Merlin, and others with magic can communicate through their minds." He said. "And since time travel takes powerful magic, some of it might have rubbed off on you, though you've been here for a while, so it might have worn off. But you'd only be able to do little things, nothing extreme like spells." He said in a rush.

"So, then why didn't you just tell me 'through my mind' earlier?" I asked, being the skeptic that I am.

"I don't have magic. I can only receive messages, but not send them. I'm just a quick study." He said with an apologetic smile. "The druids took me in when I was little, but they quickly learned that I didn't posses any magic." I remained quiet, not quite sure where this was going. "I guess what I'm trying to say is to not give up. You want to go home, whether that's Camelot or your home in the future, that's up to you. Don't give up on your friend's, Jen. You'd be surprised what friends do for each other." He smiled at me. It was a true smile. I could tell that it was all the truth from his eyes. "Goodnight," he walked out of the tent.

That left me thinking; where is my home exactly?

**A/N: Please review! It means everything to me!**


	14. The Great Escape

**A/N: Ok, this took me longer to write! Sorry this chapter is kind of long, but if I make it into a two-part thing, the other chapter would be like less than a page long. I really hope that you'll like it and answer a few of the questions you might have had.**

**Disclaimer: Merlin isn't mine. I only own Jen who is my OC.**

Merlin slammed his magic book down on Arthur's table. He had raced back to Gaius' chambers once the idea had popped into his head- after Morgana left of course. The warlock flipped through the pages, getting a bit frustrated. Where _was_ that page? He usually didn't get this upset when he couldn't find something he needed. He would stay calm, but this was Jen he was talking about. She had become a kind of little sister to him, not to mention his best friend's… something!

"Were you planning on setting fire to the rest of my chambers, too?" Arthur asked calmly. The prince's arms were crossed and he was standing over Merlin.

"What?" Merlin asked, looking up from his book. Arthur pointed at the fireplace. There wasn't a fire lit before, but now there were bright flames illuminating the dark room. "Oh, sorry," Okay, he really needed to calm down before Arthur has him thrown in the stocks for magically setting fire to his royal socks.

"Have you found anything?" Lancelot asked from the window.

"Not yet." Merlin said. Just as he was about to fling the book across the room, he found exactly what he was looking for. "Got it!" he chimed happily. Arthur moved in closer to read the scribed words on the page. "To magically communicate with others can be complicated, depending on how-"

"Merlin, that's Latin!" Arthur exclaimed. The warlock nodded. "How can you read that?"

He rolled his eyes. "Can I finish?" he asked with a dorky smile.

"Sorry," the prince muttered.

"Depending on how powerful the person you are trying to reach is, and on how powerful you are," Merlin finished. He looked up at Arthur. "I should be able to reach Jen; she just might not be able to talk back. I know it's a long shot." He said.

"But Jen doesn't have magic." Arthur pointed out.

"True, but I said that it was a long shot. I might be able communicate, though." He said, starting to doubt himself the more he talked. Merlin suddenly turned to look at Arthur. He concentrated on him, trying his hardest to summon his magic to the surface.

Arthur noticed and started to wonder if there was anything wrong with his servant. "What_ are_ you doing?"

"_Trying to prove my theory,"_ Merlin thought.

Arthur stumbled back, holding his right hand up to his head. "What was that?" he demanded. Merlin smiled at his success.

"Try to think back." He said, still smiling.

"_Alright, so is it working? Because if it's not and you wasting my time…"_

"I'm not wasting your time." Merlin said happily. Then he frowned. "Wait, there might be a reason we can talk like this. That experiment doesn't prove anything." He looked at the other confused man in the room. "Lancelot," he called. The ex-knight perked up and looked at the warlock. "Try to hear me." Lancelot nodded and faced Merlin. _"Nod your head if you can hear me."_ Lancelot nodded and Merlin smiled. _"Okay, not try to think back."_

Lancelot started to concentrate, but to great disappointment, Merlin couldn't hear anything. Merlin broke the mental connection and looked back at his book. There had to be a way to 'talk' from long distances, right?

"Well," Arthur asked. "Did it work?" Merlin shook his head. There was sadness in his eyes. "So, then what do we do now?" Arthur paused. "Hold on, that book of yours said that that magic is complicated and you'd have to be pretty powerful to do it." Merlin looked at the floor. "Just how powerful are you?"

"Arthur, could we please talk about this later?" Merlin begged. "We need to find Jen."

"You're right, but we are going to talk later." Arthur said. "I want to know just how much you've been keeping from me."

Alright," Merlin agreed reluctantly. He looked out the window at the dark sky. "I need it to be quiet." He shut his eyes and focused on reaching Jen.

_Back at the Druid's Camp…_

I thought about many things that night, like how I was going to get 'Back to the Future' without a flux-capacitor. Man, did I miss movies and TV! Oh well, I was in the action movie that I always wanted to be in. Only, in this 'movie' I could get hurt and there are not stunt people to do the dangerous stuff like getting stabbed in the side and kidnapped by some druids including Arthur's future assassin!

While laughing at my silliness, I laid down on the bed. It wasn't anything luxurious, but I really couldn't care less. It was crazy if you ask me, to not try and sneak out in the dead of night, but for some stupid reason I stayed in my bed, unmoving for at least an hour. Part of the reason was because I could hear people walking around outside and I didn't exactly want to get on a magical person's bad side when I didn't even have any type of weapon.

That Cameron guy had told me to not give up hope, so does that mean he's working with me? That I can trust him? I wasn't going to trust very many people while I was in this camp. It was too risky.

My eyes began to shut, but then, _"Jen,"_ a voice in my head said. My eyes shot wide open. I looked around my tent to see if anyone was in here with me. It sort of sounded like Merlin's voice. That's not possible, right? Oh, who am I kidding? Anything's possible when it comes to the legendary Merlin.

"_Jen,"_ the voice repeated. It was definitely Merlin's voice. _"If you can hear me, then great, if you can't then I'm making a fool of myself and am not acting like that Great Merlin that you like to talk about!" _Merlin chuckled. _"Anyway, back to the point here. If you can hear me, meet us tomorrow at midnight on the north end of the forest. Hopefully, you're still in a forest. Arthur, Lancelot and I are going to find you. Don't worry."_

The connection broke. I had tried to talk back many times, but had failed. Awesome! They are going to find me and I'm going to be out of here by midnight tomorrow! That's great by me. I'm in only too much of a hurry to escape this camp.

Cameron stepped into my tent for the fifth time today. He smiled when he saw me. "Have you had any luck in talking to your friends?" he asked. I shook my head. I don't know why I lied, but something told me that it's better that he doesn't know everything. Cameron sighed. "I'm sorry. The chances of them being able to reach you are slim; then again Emrys is very powerful."

I nodded, not wanting to say anything just in case my voice gives something away. Cameron sat down in a chair. "Do you know why Uther hates magic so much?" I asked, realizing that I didn't know the real reason, only that he thought it was evil.

"Many years ago, Uther saw that his wife was having problems conceiving an heir to the throne. He went the sorceress, Nimueh. Uther asked her to magically create a life. His wife got pregnant and after she gave birth to Arthur she died. As you can imagine, Uther was furious. He knew that to create a life, a life must be taken. The king thought that the person who would die was just going to be a lowly servant instead of his wife. He started hating people with magic ever since." Cameron explained.

"That's right." Mordred said, making me jump up. I hadn't noticed him come in. "Just like the other day when he captured Marcus and Cameron helped him escape. Uther didn't even give Marcus a fair trial." Mordred pouted. "But it's fine. That was a test, anyway." That got my attention.

"What do you mean 'it was a test'?" I asked.

Mordred sighed and sat down next to me. "We were trying to locate most of Camelot's tunnels." He said almost proud.

"Why?"

"You don't need to worry about that, Jen." Mordred patted my knee.

"I will need to worry about it if you want to know what I know." I shot back. Cameron smiled. The future assassin looked at the blonde boy behind him. Cameron nodded, so Mordred continued.

"After you help us, we are going to break into the castle and kill Uther Pendragon. You will try to convince Arthur to join us and if he refuses then we will kill him. We shall also free the Great Dragon if we have the chance." He finished with a smile.

I gulped. Merlin told me that that dragon hated Uther, too. What could he be capable of if freed?

_Back to Camelot…_

"So where do we take her?" Lancelot asked once most of the plan was finished. "They will be expecting us to take her back to Camelot immediately." He added. Arthur flipped mindlessly through Merlin's magic book.

"Lancelot," the prince started. "You're right, they will be. Perhaps you should stay here in case they do try something here. You're a better swordsman than most of my knights and you'd be able to inform my father."

"Sire, your father would recognize me." Lancelot pointed out.

"You look a lot different than you did a year ago. He won't recognize you, but if he does, then you just made a good impression on him by informing him about the druid attack." Arthur said, happy with his plan.

"Arthur's right." Merlin said. "For once," he said under his breath.

"I heard that, Merlin." Arthur shot with a smile. "Hey! We could take her to Ealdor." The prince said suddenly. Merlin perked up. "Could your mother take in three people for a day or two?"

"That's brilliant! I'm sure that she could." Merlin chimed.

"It's settled then." Arthur leaned back in his chair. "It's getting late and we've got a long day tomorrow. Let's get some sleep."

Merlin gestured for Lancelot to follow him and the two headed down to Gaius' chambers. The physician was fast asleep when the two boys entered the room. They snuck into Merlin's room and the warlock took the floor, giving the ex-knight the bed.

The next morning, Merlin was awoken by the bright sun and buried his face in his pillow. Today, he knew that they were going to find Jen. This thought made him jump to his feet. He had been too tired last night to change out of his clothes, so he was already fully dressed. The warlock tightened his red neckerchief and woke up Lancelot.

"Merlin?" he asked, still half asleep.

"Yeah, I'm going to go up to Arthur's to bring him his breakfast." He informed him and left as Lancelot got up. Merlin raced down to the kitchens and grabbed the prince's plate and then rushed up to his friend's chambers. He knocked on the door. "Arthur, it's Merlin," he said through the door.

The door swung open. "Get in here." Arthur ordered. Merlin hurried through the door and sat the plate down. "It is about time you got here." He put his hands on his hips, observing the food. "I thought you'd have snuck in more food." He said stuffing the food into the sack the prince had. He looked up at his servant. "Where's your scarf?"

Merlin smiled. He reached into his brown jacket and brought out his red scarf with the ends tied together. The warlock walked over to Arthur's food sack and opened the bundle, donating more food. Arthur smiled at his servant's cleverness.

"Alright," Arthur said as they rushed out to the stables. "I don't want my father to know that you and I are going to find Jen." He said as he and Merlin prepared the horses. "So we're taking the back way."

"Is there a back way?" Merlin asked a bit perplexed.

"There is now." Arthur mounted his horse as Merlin finished with his horse. The warlock followed Arthur. They went behind the castle to come face to face with a stone wall.

"So much for a back way," Merlin grumbled.

Arthur scowled at him. "Do you think you could-" he gestured at the big wall.

Merlin raised his eyebrows. "Alright," he sighed. The warlock looked around to make sure no one else was around. He raised his arm and muttered a spell. A portion of the wall began to glow. Slowly it dissolved until a rectangle was missing from Uther's great wall. Arthur- looking shocked- rode on through the missing piece followed by Merlin. The servant stopped and reversed the spell.

Merlin laughed at the prince's face. "You'll get used to it," he laughed.

Arthur shook his head. "I doubt _anyone_ can get used to _that_!" Merlin laughed again and they continued to ride. The forest in the morning was bustling with life; birds were chirping and squirrels were collecting nuts.

Neither of them knew what to say and by midday, the silence became unbearable.

"How is Jen going to get home?" Arthur asked while eating the meal they had packed. They had stopped so the horses could rest.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find a way." Merlin promised, more to himself than to anybody. "It's going to be strange not having her around."

"Yeah, it will be. It's strange right now." Arthur commented. "It's weird, she knows almost everything about us and Camelot and I know almost nothing about her." He paused. "I like her a lot, but she's from hundreds of-"

"Thousands," Merlin corrected.

"Thousands of years in the future and I'm from here," Arthur said.

"It's Romeo and Juliet." Merlin said.

"What?"

"Jen mentioned it once. Supposedly, it's a story about forbidden love and in this case, you're Romeo." Merlin said, acting all-wise.

"And Jen is Juliet." Arthur finished. He shook the thought out of his head. "It's almost one o'clock. We need to keep looking for Jen." He threw a stick down and stood up. "Come on, Merlin, we have until midnight." Merlin got up and they rode off, following the path. "How do we find the druid's new camp?" Arthur asked.

Merlin looked at the prince. "Magic," he said simply.

Arthur smiled. "Right, how could I think otherwise?" Merlin chuckled. "What are you waiting for?"

"Oh, right!" Merlin closed his eyes and started to focus. His magic boiled in his veins, trying to reach the surface. It was fighting to reach its full potential, to find Jen. Merlin's blue eyes shot open and nodded his head towards an unusually tall hill, which was a ways away. "They are there." He said.

"Great job, let's go." Arthur and Merlin rushed the horses to start running.

_Back at the Druid's Camp…_

Night fell quickly to my relief. I was anxiously waiting on my bed for the moon to get in the right place. That would tell me if it was midnight. I was very thankful that I took astronomy for a semester! I peeked out the tent to see that I still had a while to wait.

Earlier that day, Mordred had come back in to try and coax the information out of me. The boy kept asking me all sorts of questions like who kills Arthur, when he dies, and who he marries. They were easy questions that I could've answered, but of course I didn't. I understood why he hated Uther so much and I tried to convince him that Arthur was different, but he refused to believe that. I found out quickly that druids were very stubborn people.

I tried to pass the time by thinking of what the people back in the future would think of what became of me. I would probably be on some missing persons list. By the time I get back everyone will think that I am dead. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised to see a gravestone with my name on it. If I get back and everyone thinks that I _am_ dead, perhaps I could return to Camelot. There would be no reason for me to live in the future if I don't even exist anymore.

It's possible that I won't even get back home. Yes, Merlin's powerful, but this might just be too much for him right now. I mean, it's time travel. That _has _to be pretty advanced magic. Yes, I got here by wishing on a star, but who knows how magic really works? My head started to hurt from all this confusing science fiction stuff. I got up to look at my moon clock. It was almost midnight.

I opened the flap farther so I could sneak out. I crawled on my hands and knees to the other side of the tent. "North, north, where's north?" I whispered to myself. I grabbed a rock to see which side the moss was on. I squinted and saw that I needed to keep going straight ahead. I got up to hide behind another tent. There were druids walking on the other side, patrolling. I quickly made my way, unseen, through the camp. Finally, I made it to the forest. My heartbeat eased up when I heard whispering.

"Jen, are you there?" Arthur whispered. I could see his blonde hair in the dark and I ran up to the two boys, hugging them.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" I whispered, grateful that they found me. The prince pulled me along through the underbrush until we got to the horses. He helped me up on his horse before getting on himself. Merlin flashed me a smile and we rode off into the darkness. "Where are we going?" I asked once we were a ways away from the camp.

"Ealdor," Merlin said. I smiled, remembering that that was the place he grew up at. "It's not that far from here." I put my head on Arthur's back, tired as hell. My eyes closed and I was asleep.

"Jen, you can wake up now." Arthur said, shaking me gently. I opened my sagging eyes to see a small village that had pigs and other farm animals. It was quaint and quiet. I could see why Merlin liked it here.

We got off the horses and walked towards a little house. Merlin knocked on the door. "Mother, it's me, Merlin." He said quietly. The door swung open. A short woman who was as tall as me came out. She looked tired and overworked, yet full of love and concern for her son as she pulled him into a hug.

"Oh, my boy!" she pulled away from her son to look at him. Her attention turned to Arthur and me and she bowed her head. "Prince Arthur," she greeted.

"Hunith," Arthur said politely back. Hunith smiled at him before looking at me.

"And who is this?" Hunith asked.

"I'm Jen," I said with a smile. "It's nice to meet you."

"Please, come in and sit down." She opened the door farther and let us in. I took another glance outside before the door shut completely. The sun was going down! Could I really have been asleep the whole day? Oh well, I needed the rest. Hunith went to where the fireplace was. "I will make a fire as soon as I grab some more wood." She smiled and went to the kitchen. Inside a cupboard was a stack of wood. She grabbed an armful, but dropped most of it.

"Here, let me help you." I rushed over to grab the fallen wood. She smiled a 'thanks' and when we were about to walk back into the room where the boys were, I saw Merlin's eyes go gold and the fire was lit. Arthur move forward to warm up his hands. I looked at Hunith and saw her eyes get wide.

"Show off," Arthur murmured.

"Merlin," Hunith hissed.

"Sorry, mother, he knows my secret." The warlock smiled an apologetic smile. "And so does Jen."

"Merlin, it's not very responsible to tell so many." She said with concern in her voice.

"Oh, Hunith, he didn't tell me. I already knew." I said, trying to help him out. Hunith shot Merlin a look. "It's not because I saw him use magic, it's just because, well," I paused. "I'm sort of from the future." Her mouth fell open. "I don't have magic or anything. I just somehow got stuck here in the past." I explained.

Merlin chuckled at his mom's reaction. Arthur walked over and took the wood from her so that she wouldn't drop it. "I promise, I won't tell anyone about Merlin." He said to Merlin's mom. Her face softened and a small smile formed. "My father won't know a thing about his magic while I'm still the prince."

"Thank you, Prince Arthur." She bowed her head again. Her motherly instincts kicked in. "You will probably want something to eat before bed." Hunith ran off to the kitchen and began cooking.

"What can I do?" I asked, walking over to her. She was grateful for the help. In a short amount of time we had dinner fixed. It was delicious and the boys joked around as I teased Arthur for acting like a normal person instead of a prince.

Hunith showed us the room we could stay in. The boys gave me the bed and they took the floor. I was hoping that by the time morning came, everything was going to be okay. I hoped that the druids wouldn't notice my absence until much later, not wanting them to find me here. That gave me the thought, _"I wonder if they are going to go to Camelot to look for me."_

**A/N: Please review! It means the world to me! Hugs for you all! :)**


	15. Remembering the Legend

**A/N: I am so very, very sorry that I didn't update sooner, but my muse didn't give me inspiration and I had homework and Homecoming to worry about. I know that there is no excuse so I'm just going to quiet my babbling! Thanks to all who have reviewed, alerted, favored, etc… Please keep it up!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin or anything else that I didn't make up. Jen is the only thing I own :(**

Arthur was fighting as hard as he could, yelling at me to run. Merlin grabbed my hand we zoomed to the other side of Ealdor. The druids had found me, and a druid was walking slowly towards us. The warlock and I hid behind a tree. My eyes wandered over to Arthur. He was having a hard time defending himself against a druid who I recognized as the one who I'd always known as Arthur's killer; Mordred. The prince fell to the ground and the boy lifted his sword up high before stabbing Arthur in the stomach.

It was a fatal blow. His blue orbs found mine and I could see the light leaving eyes. Arthur's head fell to the ground, his blonde hair getting soiled. The druid pulled the sword roughly out of the dying prince, a smiled on his face. A tear rolled down my cheek, my mouth open with shock. I tried to run towards him, but Merlin held me back. I began to scream his name, but there was no response.

I felt someone shaking me, calling my name. I ignored them until-

"Jen!" they called. My eyes flew open and a scream escaped my lips. Above me was Arthur. There was worry in his eyes. "Are you alright?" he asked, his hand stroking my forehead. I sat upright to look out the window. Everything was normal and no druids in sight.

I looked Arthur in the eyes and pulled him into a hug. He was shocked but hugged me back. I ran my hands up and down his back to check for holes. "Oh, thank you." I breathed. The prince pulled back to look at me. He was smiling.

"What brought this on and why were you feeling my back?" he asked with a laugh. I shook my head, grinning back. I grabbed his hands to hold in mine. They were warm and strong, making me happy. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine now." I smiled. He looked confused, but laughed. "I just had a bad dream, that's all." He pulled me closer to him. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, stroking my blushing cheeks. "I'm really glad that I came here. If I hadn't, I would have never met you."

Arthur smiled slightly and leaned closer to me. "You know we shouldn't be doing this?" he whispered. I nodded. The prince came closer. Our lips were crushed together. The room was getting hotter and hotter, and that's when I heard the door open. Hunith stepped into the room and stopped instantly.

Our lips parted and Arthur blushed slightly. "I'm so sorry, sire." She said, facing the floor.

Arthur cleared his throat. "No, don't be. We'll be right out, Hunith." Merlin's mother nodded and shut the door. He looked at me, a frown on his face. I bit my lip. "I'm sorry about that." He whispered. "I didn't mean for that to happen." He apologized. My mouth fell open when he turned his back. Arthur walked out of the room, softly shutting the door behind him.

"The prince has left the building." I said sarcastically. I put my face in my hands. This was so embarrassing! Arthur was _sorry_ for kissing me? I sure wasn't sorry. I sighed and walked out the door to greet Merlin.

"Hey," I said scratching my head. Merlin smiled at me and pointed with his eyes towards Arthur. I laughed quietly and nodded.

"I knew it!" he said happily. I went to sit down by him at the table. Arthur was shinning his sword on the other side of the room. When I glance at him, he looked up and saw me staring. I smiled, but he just went back to work, ignoring me completely. I was a bit shocked and disappointed by this, but I would let it pass. Merlin and I helped Hunith with breakfast while the prince looked out the window. "Maybe you should talk to him." Merlin suggested. I shook my head.

"I don't know." I said drying a dish. "What if it's not a good idea for me to talk to him? Perhaps you should talk to him. You are his best friend." I pointed out. Merlin smiled and gently pushed me towards Arthur.

"Go on." He urged. I groaned and went over to confront Arthur.

"Hi," I started. He looked up to see me and smiled halfheartedly. "I want to talk. You've been acting weird ever since this morning. What's up?"

"Jennifer," he started, but paused. He was struggling for words. "I just- I just don't see how we can be together when we're so far apart." He whispered. I breathed out, closing my eyes.

"We're pretty close now." I pointed out.

"In your time, I'm dead and in my time you haven't even been born yet." He looked sad, his blonde bangs covering his eyes. "How would we be able to make it work?"

I pondered over that for a minute. "Well, all relationships have their issues." He laughed.

"What? Do many couples have problems that involve time travel?" he asked sarcastically. I rolled my eyes. "Jen, I just don't see how we could ever make it work."

"I see what you mean, but I'm here now." I smiled flirtatiously. "So why not take advantage of the moment?" he grinned.

"You're right."

"I know." We laughed. He pulled me closer and once again we kissed. It was too short for my liking, though. He kissed my cheek before standing up and walking over to help Hunith set the table with the plates. I sat next to Arthur. He took my hand that was sitting on the tabletop. Merlin saw this and smiled. I laid my head against his shoulder for a few seconds before I started to eat.

We finished and went outside to do some chores. Merlin went to feed the horses, which left Arthur and I to get some more firewood for tonight. The prince grabbed the ax and started to chop up a fallen log. I asked what I could do, but he just told me that he could handle it.

"How do you get your fire to start when all the wood is damp?" he asked when he saw that most of the log was wet. I laughed a bit. "What?"

"To get our houses warm, we have a heating and cooling system." I explained. Arthur looked lost. "We do have fireplaces, but a lot of them are gas powered, as in they don't need wood to have a fire." Right then and there is when he looked completely dumbfounded. I couldn't help but giggle. A smile broke out on his face and he shook his head.

"And it's not magic?" he asked.

"Nope,"

"Huh," Arthur gave up on the wood and we began to walk back to the village. "Merlin's going to have to start the fire again." Arthur took my hand in his. I looked around. The sky was so clear, the clouds so white, it was beautiful! Where is all this in my time? "Jennifer," Arthur started. I looked up at him. "If Merlin finds a way for you to go back, are you going to go?" he asked, sorrow in his eyes. I looked at my feet, biting my lip.

"I really don't know." I finally said. "The future could change if I don't go back, but I like it here."

"What do you miss?"

I thought about that. "Probably indoor plumbing," I concluded. Arthur laughed, most likely having no idea what I was talking about.

"I want to see your home." Arthur stated bluntly. My eyes found his. "I'm serious. I would like to see all these things that are too hard to imagine." I nodded, trying to picture a medieval prince wandering the streets of L.A. or New York City.

"I don't think that you'd like it too much." I smiled, thinking of how he'd react to the traffic and stores and electricity. Arthur stopped for a second.

"Is there hunting?" he asked.

"Yes,"

"Then, yes, I would like it." I laughed, knowing that he wouldn't understand hunting in my time. Hell, he doesn't even know what a gun is let alone how to fire one. "So _Juliet,_ one day I'm going to see your world whether you like it or not." he said.

My mouth opened. "How do you know about Juliet Capulet?" I asked, shocked.

He shrugged. "Merlin told me." We reached a path in the forest. The sun got brighter as we got closer to Merlin's house. "You know about Merlin, right?" I nodded. "There's a question that he neglects to answer." He paused for a second before continuing. "How powerful is he? I mean, if he was powerful then he wouldn't have put up with all my 'ridiculous chores' as you say, nor would he be a servant, right?"

I patted him on the shoulder. "Oh, Arthur, I think you need to talk to him about that one."

"But he won't talk to me!" he exclaimed.

"Give him time. You _just_ found out about his powers. It's going to take some time for you both to adjust."

Arthur bit his lip. "It's just so hard to think that my idiotic servant is an all powerful sorcerer." Arthur waved his hands around, trying to make it more dramatic. I wanted to tell Arthur everything, to tell him why I couldn't stay here, to tell him about Merlin and Morgana and Gwen, Lancelot…

It was just too tempting!

Finally, the two of us reached the little house of which we were staying. Hunith smiled warmly as we entered the kitchen. She was fixing dinner. I wasn't quite sure exactly _what_ the food was, but it was food and that was good enough for me. Although, I can't wait until I can eat Wendy's again.

Whatever I ate, it was good and I finished quickly. I helped Hunith clean up as the boys talked by the fire. Hunith then asked me how I knew Merlin and Arthur. She was very surprised to hear what I had to say, but she was interested. Hunith was fascinated by just how well known Merlin will be. There was delight and fear in her eyes. I could tell that she was nervous about the thought of others knowing about her son's special gift that has been outlawed for so long.

Once I was finished helping Hunith, I went to sit with the boys. They were talking about how busy the market is in Camelot during the holidays. I couldn't help but laugh at that. They had no idea about crowded stores!

"Now, why are you laughing?" Merlin questioned.

"Because I doubt that your market is as crowded as it is on Black Friday!" I exclaimed. That's when I had to describe the whole mess with parking, lines, and all the sales that attract the crowds. Just like most boys, they said that they would not want to shop on that day, and frankly I don't like to shop then either. My mom likes to wake up at three o'clock AM and I don't really think any sale is worth less than six hours sleep, but that's just me.

I was getting a headache and was very disappointed when Merlin couldn't summon Advil for me. After what seemed like only a little while, the sun went down and the moon shone bright. Hunith said that we ought to think about getting to bed soon, so all three of us retired to our room where we continued to talk in whispers.

Right when Merlin was in the middle of telling a story, something hit me like a thousand knives. "Merlin," I said. They both looked at me. "The druids are going to go to Camelot, right?"

"Yes, that's why we brought you here." Arthur explained.

"Morgana helped Mordred escape, right?" They nodded. In the legend, I remember that Morgana turns evil. Merlin said that Mordred and Morgana had a special bond. In my legend, it was because Mordred was her son, but in here it might be because they both have magic. That boy might just be the person who turns her from good to bad. I knew that she already hated Uther. Now all she needed was an ally. She knew that Mordred hated the king as well and who knows what that boy is capable of?! He wants to free a potentially dangerous dragon for goodness sake! "Mordred's with them." I stated, and then stood up. "Oh no, Morgana," I exclaimed.

**A/N: Yeah, kind of a corny ending, I know! Please review, it means so much!!!**


	16. A Twist That Will Shock

**A/N: I'm late! I'm late! Or so a white rabbit tells me. I'm so sorry that it's been so long since my last update, but I've had a severe case of writer's block and I'm stuck! I really hope that you guys will like this chapter and it's kind of short :(**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin. It is owned by the BBC. I only own Jen.**

Instead of sleeping, I laid awake, staring at the ceiling. I was worrying about Morgana. Perhaps the druids won't go after her and I was just being paranoid. Who am I kidding? If the legend is correct then Morgana is powerful sorceress. Those druids aren't as smart as I gave them credit for if they don't try to get Morgana on their side. What am I saying?! I sighed. Mental arguments with myself never get me anywhere.

This night seems to be taking forever. I half want some action to go on, just because I'm getting really bored. I want to go back to Camelot so I can make sure that Morgana is okay, but that wouldn't be right. Merlin and Arthur went through a lot to try and get me back from the druids. By going back to Camelot and getting captured again because of my foolishness isn't right. As much as I want to go, I decided not to. Like I said, I'm being too paranoid. Morgana is just fine. She can take care of herself for sure, couldn't she? I suddenly felt the need for a Magic Eight Ball, which is stupid seeing as _the_ Merlin was sleeping on the floor right next to my bed.

I'm. An. Idiot.

I buried my head in the pillow, not wanting to face the world. My eyes closed and darkness took over. When I woke up, the sun still wasn't out yet. There were still a few hours until sunrise. I pulled the sheets up to my chin, getting me warmer.

Finally, after long last, I went to sleep that kept me unconscious until someone was shaking me awake. I opened my eyes to see the sun just coming up. Merlin was standing over me. He smiled and his ears stuck out even more up close. It was cute!

He was the one who broke the silence. "I have some good news and some bad news." I gulped.

"What's the bad news?" I asked.

"We have to go back to Camelot on Uther's orders." He frowned. "There's a guard in the other room." He explained. That got me thinking. If a Camelot guard could find us so easily, then it is only a matter of time before the druids find us here, too.

"So, then what's the good news?" I asked, wanting an up-lift in my spirits.

"The good news is that the druids still haven't found us." He shrugged his shoulders. I knew he was thinking the same thing I was. We only had days, maybe even hours. There was a knock on the door. Merlin got up from the bed and went over to answer the door. Arthur walked in with a solemn look on his face.

"Merlin, could we have a moment?" he asked, still looking at the floor. Merlin bowed his head and left the room. Arthur looked at me and I got up off of the bed to stand with him. I looked up into his eyes and got lost in them.

"Jen," he started. "We have to go back to Camelot. My father is going to be demanding an explanation for why I ran away so suddenly without telling him. You probably know that it is against the law to lie to the king." I nodded, shaking slightly. "I just wanted to let you know that," he paused, and then a smile spread across his face. "I hope that we can work together on creating a believable story to tell my father."

I began to laugh. He took my hands in his and kissed me lightly on the lips. "Of course," I said happily. His smile grew bigger. We walked out into the main room where I saw the guard. He was dressed in armor and a helmet. The only colors he had on were red and gold. These guards always kind of freaked me out because their helmets covered most of their faces.

"Your highness," he bowed. "I have been ordered to assist you on your journey back to Camelot, and the king insists that you speak to him immediately."

Arthur let out a deep breath. "Thank you, you can wait outside for us." The guard bowed again and headed out the door. The prince turned to look at me. "You've been pretty quiet. What's on your mind?" Merlin tuned in to hear as well.

"It's just that I don't want the druids to find you guys and going back to Camelot might just cause that to happen." I explained. "Although going back would be good so that we can keep an eye on Morgana." I said mostly to myself. Unfortunately, Arthur and Merlin heard.

"What do you mean 'keep an eye on Morgana'?" Arthur asked. I froze. There was a little voice in my head telling me to shut my freaking mouth. I always say too much. "Jen, don't tell me I have to order you to tell me the truth."

My face fell. Was this it? Was I going to have to tell them everything here and now? I couldn't. That would mess up the whole future, or at least change it a bit. Could sweet, caring Morgana really be turned evil by one boy? I couldn't take any chances, but I also could _not_ let them know about her.

"No, it's nothing. Don't be ridiculous, Arthur." I said, waved it off. My thoughts wandered back to Morgana. I wanted to run back to that magical castle of Camelot and warn the king about a possible druid attack. Although that might cause him to figure out Merlin's secret and that would result in no future. Well, I don't want to change too much while I'm back here, so I better not say anything for the sake of the world. Arthur may not know it yet, but Merlin is more important than he could ever imagine!

"Jen," Merlin spoke. I looked up to see both boys staring at me. "Are you alright?" he asked, curiosity in his eyes. He is like the big brother I never had.

Arthur looked concerned. "If you are worried about me keep the secrets that you two have then please stop it, Jen. I told you that we will make up a story-"

I put my hand up to stop him. "That's not it. Can we please just change the subject? I'm sorry I even brought it up." They both continued to give me strange looks. The guard came back into the house telling us that we needed to head out if we were going to reach some strange forest by nightfall. Arthur put his arm securely around my waist as in assuring me that my secret was safe. It _was_ reassuring! Merlin kept smiling at me. That's when I saw him staring at me with a lot of focus. It freaked me out for a little bit until I heard something.

"_Don't tell me that I'm going to have to do the big brother thing with Arthur!"_ he smiled and I rolled my eyes and giggled, shaking my head. His voice was in my mind. I knew why he didn't say it out loud.

Arthur helped me onto his horse and he got on in front. I held onto him tight and he smiled. The guard kept glancing at us suspiciously. It was beginning to annoy me. I get that a 'peasant girl' and a prince could not be together, but I am not going to be here for long, so it really doesn't matter. Yes, I know that the guard doesn't know that, but still. You can't find someone like this in the twenty-first century, or at least _I_ haven't found anyone like him before.

Merlin's mother waved goodbye to us and went back into the house, watching us from the window. I could tell that she was worried about her son. I wanted to reassure _her_ that he was going to be okay, that everything was going to be okay.

--

The sun was about to set when we stopped to make a camp. I saw Merlin and Arthur looking around, keeping watch for druids. I worried about the guard noticing the boys being so anxious. If he did notice then he would inform the king which wouldn't be good and would cause the same results; no future.

Finally, night fell and I tried to get to sleep. My ears were attuned to the sounds of the forest, listening for anything out of the ordinary. I didn't have to wait long. There were footsteps creeping towards the fire. The person's shadow was cast across the camp. I stood up silently to get a better look at the intruder. The person turned around to face me.

It was Merlin.

I breathed a sigh of relief. He smiled apologetically and walked over to me. "I'm sorry if I scared you. I was just trying to see if I could sense the druids just in case they are close." I gave him a hug.

"You're amazing, Merlin." I said, my eyes drooping. "Thank you so much." I looked up at his face. Even in the dark I could see him blushing. I giggled softly and I laid back down on my blanket, falling asleep when Merlin threw a blanket over me.

I was having a dreamless sleep. It was refreshing to just rest and not worry if my dreams were real or not. Suddenly, my eyes shot open. I don't know why I woke up, but I did. Then I heard a crack. I sat up very slowly, thinking it might be Merlin again, but he was fast asleep. I looked over to see if Arthur or the guard were up and about. They were asleep as well. Could this be a druid? Have they found us?

There was another crack and I knew that I had to go and investigate. I crawled over to Arthur's bed and took his sword. I held it tightly and with confidence. Slowly, I walked over to where I heard the noise. I saw the person standing with their back to me. It was almost pitch black in this little secluded spot except for the faint glow of the fire a ways away. It cast wicked, threatening shadows across the forest floor.

"Show yourself." I demanded with a semi strong voice. I heard a gasp coming from the mysterious person. They slowly turned around to show their face. I dropped Arthur's sword and my mouth fell open, speechless.

**A/N: Please review! It is awesome when you do!**


	17. Camelot: A Place For Epic Discoveries

**A/N: Hey everybody! I haven't had access to the internet in a while, so I'm really, truly sorry! Plus, I have not known what to do next… that's kind of a major drawback for me… I really want to update sooner, I hope that you know that! *Gives you all a extremely apologetic face***

**Thank you all who reviewed and to those who are still loyal reviewers!**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Merlin or its characters. Jen is the only one I own because I made her up.**

The person standing in front of me slowly took their hood off and her curly, brown hair fell in front of her face. In the dim moonlight I saw a worried look on that poor girl's face. I stepped forward to comfort her.

"Gwen," I said, patting her lightly on the shoulder. Guinevere looked up at me with sorrow in her eyes. "What's wrong? Why are you out here all alone?" I asked quickly. Tears started spewing from her eyes. She regained herself and leaned against me, trying to speak. No sound came out of her mouth so I took her back to the camp, gesturing for her to sit down next to the dimming fire.

"Jen," her voice cracked. "The druids, they are attacking Camelot." Gwen choked out. More tears trickled down her cheek. The future queen wiped her eyes and continued. "And… Morgana, they're… _doing_ something to her. It's like they are _changing_ her." She said. My blood drained from my face as the truth leaked to the surface. Mordred was changing Morgana. "Jen, why does it look like you expected this?"

I flashed back to reality. "Oh, um, no, I'm just as surprised as you are." I said quickly. _"Nice save, Jen." _I thought sarcastically. I saw that Merlin and Arthur were staring to stir. I knew that I needed answers fast. "Gwen, I need you to tell me how exactly she was different."

Gwen closed her eyes, remembering. "Well, she started yelling at me about Uther, acting like all of his horrid deeds were my fault!" she put her hand on her chest. "Then later on after more of her outbursts, the druids came and started to attack the castle. I was able to sneak away at the last minute." Her voice cracked again and she put her head in her hands. "Once I was at the forest edge, I looked back at the castle and saw the little druid boy that Morgana and Merlin helped once. He was with her, chanting something. Next thing I knew, Uther was being dragged across the ground, being held hostage by the druids. I knew that I needed to go find Arthur and tell him before he returned, that way he wouldn't get captured, as well."

My eyes widened. King Uther Pendragon was being held captive by Mordred and his people. Now, Morgana is truly turning evil and I'm miles away from Camelot. I'm powerless to stop anything. If I involve Merlin and Arthur then I would probably have to tell them about Morgana and maybe even about Arthur's death. Of course, if I don't tell them anything, then the consequences may be terrible.

"Alright, well why don't you just get some sleep?" I told her. She nodded and laid down on my bed. I began to pace the camp. This couldn't be happening. There's just one problem after another here. It's probably because I'm here, not in the right time period.

"Jen," said a groggy voice. I turned around to see Arthur trying to wake up. "Where's my sword, and why are you up?" I gestured for me to follow him. We went past my bed and Arthur saw our guest. "Why is…"

"Come on," I dragged him to where I dropped his sword. He picked it up and wiped off the dirt.

"Now," he started. "Tell me why you have been so panicky and why Guinevere is here." I opened my mouth, but he held up his hand to stop me. "I want the whole story. Not half the story this time." I sighed.

"Fine," I breathed. "Gwen said that the druids have attacked Camelot and Mordred is manipulating Morgana as well." I bit my lip, worrying about how he was going react.

"This isn't good." He rubbed his temples. "This really isn't good."

"Oh, that's not even the good part." I said sarcastically. He looked up. "Uther is being held hostage by the druids." I said, dropping the bomb shell. He gripped his sword tightly in his hands. His knuckles were turning so white that I thought his bones were going to pop out of his hands.

"We need to get back."

"I would agree, but we need to shake the guard. We'll need Merlin's talent later on, too." I smiled slyly. Arthur came up closer to me. I could feel my cheeks going red and was grateful that it was dark.

"Thank you for telling me the truth, Jennifer." He said. I nodded and I could feel the awkwardness creeping into the atmosphere. I crossed my arms, trying to make a plan.

"Arthur," I said. "If we are going to get rid of the guard, then we will need to leave pretty soon." I confessed. Arthur sighed and nodded.

"I'll wake up Merlin." He said and walked over to where his friend was sleeping. I looked at Gwen. There was still worry in her face as she slept. I was beginning to wonder how we were going to hide Merlin's secret from her. Oh well, that was tomorrow's problem.

Merlin, with sagging eyes, wobbled over to me. Arthur didn't want to wake up Gwen so he picked her up, cradling her. I couldn't help but smile. Yes, I was very jealous, but he _was_ going to marry her. He needed practice sweeping her off her feet.

He sat her down on a horse. Merlin stole the guard's horse and Arthur rode with Gwen as she slept on his back. I followed the two boys, not knowing how they knew which direction Camelot was in. It's not like there was any road signs that said "This way to Camelot" or "Main Street". We only had the paths to follow. There were several twists and turns that we had to take. It was extremely hard to see anything in the dark. I kept looking over my shoulder to make sure the guard wasn't running after us in his nightclothes, yelling for us to stop.

There wasn't much to talk about on this ride back to Camelot. Gwen slept for hours. It must have been a long journey to the forest to find us on foot. I felt horrid. It was my fault that Camelot is under attack. If I hadn't been kidnapped by the druids, then none of this would have happened. If I hadn't made that wish on the star, then no one would be in danger.

Our poor horses walked throughout the night. Arthur was determined to make good time and get to Camelot to help his father. Merlin had to keep waking me up, for I was falling asleep on the horse. He always smiled at me and assured me constantly that everything was going to be alright. I wasn't as sure as he was. By the look on his face, though, he didn't seem so sure himself. Arthur was the only one who was confident enough to say that everything _was_ fine and _is_ going to be just peachy.

"Merlin," he said when he decided to make a plan of attack. "I need you to," he glanced down at Gwen. "I need you to use… your skill to distract the druids while I search for my father. Did Guinevere say anything about where they were keeping him?" he asked me. I shook my head. He groaned with frustration.

"Hey, Arthur, you need to calm down. We will save him and Camelot, just keep a cool head." I assured him. He nodded and forced his horse to go faster.

--

When the sun was just starting to break through the clouds, we saw the castle roof. There was something wrong about it, though. It had a darker look to it, not its usual bright, happy aura. The castle almost looked evil. The druids have definitely left their mark on the place.

The four of us almost got to the edge of the forest when Merlin noticed something. "Guys," he whispered. We looked at the warlock and he pointed to a person patrolling the castle's border.

"That makes things slightly more difficult." Arthur murmured. I looked over at Gwen. She was starting to stir. "Gwen," the prince said. She opened her eyes. The girl was shocked to see herself on a horse with the prince of Camelot. "I need you to be quiet, please. We are right next to Camelot." He informed her. She sat up and Arthur helped her off the horse. Merlin and I got off, as well.

"What _are_ we going to do?" I asked as I groaned. Arthur smiled at me. Gwen seemed to notice our little exchange and smiled at me. I smiled sheepishly back, feeling awful about this. It was just kind of awkward with Gwen and Arthur and I together like this, even if they didn't know why.

The guard looked in our direction. We ducked behind the bushes, hoping he didn't see us. Arthur was on one end, next to Merlin. Gwen was on the other end with me next to her. "Alright, we need a plan." Merlin said.

Gwen finally spoke up. "I'll go out and let him catch me." I was about to protest when she continued. "If he catches me then that will give you a distraction and hopefully give you enough time to get Uther." She said. I could tell that she was a bit scared, but very confidant.

"Guinevere, we can't put you in that sort of danger." Arthur said, shaking his head. Gwen looked at the ground.

"Arthur, you need a chance to get your father out." She said quietly. "If they catch me, then most of the guards will be either distracted for inside, besides, the guard is coming." She stood up and began walking towards the castle before any of us can protest.

"Hey, you there!" the druid shouted. He ran over to her and put shackles around her wrists. She was dragged into the castle, out of our line of sight.

I looked over at Arthur. He was smiling, but with concern in his eyes. He saw me looking and said, "Sorry,"

I shook my head. "Don't be." I faked a smile. I knew that he was going to end up with Gwen, but I wanted to deny it as long as I could. I was with him right now, and I should cherish it while I'm still here. I can worry about fate leading him to her when I'm going back, but I had no idea when that would be, if ever…

"How are we going to get in?" Merlin asked. Arthur and I smiled and Gibbs-slapped him on the head. He made the exact face that DiNozzo always made when he got slapped, which made me giggle. He looked at the two of us and asked, "Well, how?"

"Magic," Arthur and I said at the same time.

Merlin nodded once. "Right," The warlock smiled, pleased that he was able to use his magic openly. We all ran to the front gate when the coast was clear. There were two druids at the gate, talking. "_Sleparso"_ he muttered. Immediately, the druids fell on the ground, out cold.

"Nice work," Arthur said, obviously impressed and personally, so was I. We snuck into the courtyard, hiding behind anything that would hide us from the line of sight. Arthur was the first to get into the castle. We followed him when he gave us the signal. "Careful, they are everywhere." He warned us. "We should split up." Arthur suggested. "Merlin, you search over there, and Jen and I will search the other half of the castle."

Merlin looked nervous about leaving Arthur alone with druids all over the place. "Fine, but tell me if there's a problem." He said, tapping his temple. I looked at Arthur for an explanation. The prince nodded. He saw my confused look and mouthed, "Later".

Arthur and I went off in one direction while Merlin went the other way. The prince and I were alone; a rarity indeed. Sure, it wasn't exactly _how_ I would have wanted it, but still, you need to take advantage these Kodak moments. We turned many corners and looked in many rooms.

"He could be in his room, or the stables." I said.

"It's possible." He pulled me behind a statue when a druid walked through the halls. After the hall was clear we walked on. The two of us were near the entrance to the Great Dragon's cave. I could hear faint voices from down there.

"Arthur," I whispered. I gestured for him to come over to me. He listened in and we were shocked. There were two voices; one was Mordred's and the other was Morgana's. They were chanting something. Arthur's eyes widened.

"Why does Mordred want Morgana to help with the spell?" he asked. "How could she help?" I bit my lip as he looked at me. "Jen?" the prince was practically speechless, but he was able to find his words. "What don't I know?"

"So much," I mumbled, thinking about… Well, everything in the legend that has yet to happen. He looked at me, completely perplexed. "Um, can we talk later?" I asked. "We are kind of in a pressing situation here." He nodded reluctantly and listened to what the two were saying.

"Please tell me you know the language of the Old Religion." Arthur said without much confidence. I shook my head and shrugged.

"I only know a limited amount of Spanish." I admitted. Arthur chuckled quietly. "Perhaps you should 'call' Merlin. He would know what they're doing." I suggested. He closed his eyes and in a matter of seconds, Merlin was standing next to us, breathing hard. "Are you okay?" I asked.

"I… r-ran-n t-the whole w-way." He panted his hands on his knees. "Is that…?" he trailed off, listening to Morgana and Mordred say magic words. Arthur and I nodded. The warlock moved in closer. After the two finished their chant for the umpteenth time, Merlin gasped. "Oh no,"

I listened harder to what Mordred was saying.

"_Nogard Taerg eht esaeler won, eltsac siht esruc I"_ they chanted, hand in hand. After they got finished saying these unknown words, the castle began to shake. Mordred looked up at Morgana and smiled. He and Morgana continued to chant while Arthur and I turned to Merlin for an explanation.

"He doesn't have enough power." Merlin whispered. "But he knows how to get it."

"Enough power for what?" Arthur asked, putting one hand on my shoulder.

The warlock swallowed. "To free the Great Dragon,"

**A/N: I wasn't going to do a cliffhanger, but this just came to me. If you want to know what the spell Mordred and Morgana chanted, just read it backwards from right to left. It was the first thing that came to mind!**

**Please review! I love reviews, they make me happy! :)**


	18. Forbidden Love and Unwanted Findings

**A/N: Thank you guys so much for reviewing, favoring, alerting, etc… it means so much to me! I hope that you all are enjoying your Spring Break. Oh, there will be about two or three chapters after this one and it will be over. It depends on where my muse takes me and on how many pages each chapter will take up!**

**Warning: There is one cuss word in here. Sorry, but it felt appropriate for it to be used in that conversation.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the BBC's Merlin. Jennifer Coldwell is the only one that I own :)**

The castle shook violently as rubble fell down on top of the three of us. Arthur covered my head with his body, making sure I wasn't going to get hurt. Merlin was looking at Morgana and Mordred, thinking hard about something. I wanted to ask but I was worried that they might hear us.

The young man stepped forward, ignoring the whispered protests that Arthur was giving him. Merlin had an extremely confident look about him, determined to stop the future assassin, Mordred. He truly was turning into the great warlock I knew him to be.

"Morgana," Merlin said, projecting his voice through the dragon's dungeon. She turned to him suddenly. A smile broke out onto her face. Mordred glared worriedly at Merlin, holding on tighter to the king's ward.

"Merlin," she chimed.

"Morgana, please don't do this." The warlock begged, keeping a distance. "You have no idea what you're doing."

She shook her head. "What are you talking about? Merlin, it's not what you think. I don't have magic. Mordred just wanted me to be with him while he cast a charm to protect the castle." Her smiled grew wider, showing her pride in the boy.

"No, that's not what he's doing. He's using you, Morgana. Mordred wants to free the dragon that is in that dungeon that no one is allowed to go into, and he is not powerful enough to do that on his own." Merlin informed her.

Morgana shook her head with a nervous smile. "No, no, he wouldn't do that. Merlin, you don't know what you're talking about."

Merlin closed his eyes and swallowed. "I do know what I'm talking about. I know what the spell he has you saying will do. I know that because I'm a warlock." He said finally. Morgana's eyes widened, but he didn't give her time to respond. "You have magic, too. That's why he needs your help. Please, stop saying the spells he wants you to. The druids have already kidnapped the king and want to kill Arthur. Do you really want to be a part of that?"

Arthur looked down at me, clearly confused about what Merlin had just said. I gave him an apologetic smile and nodded. "It's true," I whispered. He frowned and looked back at the scene that was unfolding before us.

The ward looked down at the little druid. He shook his head, looking innocent. "He's lying, Morgana." He said in a sweet voice. "Don't believe him."

But she wasn't listening to Mordred. Her eyes were set on Merlin, wanting the truth from him. He nodded his head. She turned back to the little boy. "Mordred," she questioned.

He looked at Merlin and back at the ward. "Morgana, I…" but he was at a loss for words. Mordred took off running up the stairs.

Arthur caught him just as he was about to dash out of our sight. "Oh, no you don't." The prince held the druid tight in his arms, making sure he wouldn't get away. "Where are you harboring the king?" he demanded. Mordred shut his eyes and his mouth. "Where?!" he yelled when Mordred didn't answer.

I went up the stairs a ways to look out a window. There was fire everywhere, engulfing the market little by little. "Arthur," I said. He looked at me. I motioned for him to come and see. He struggled with the boy, but was able to look out the windowpane. I watched as his eyes widened, and how the fire inside of him was beginning to roar to life.

"Alright," he huffed. "Jen, you stay with Morgana. Merlin, you come with me. We are going to find my father." Merlin and I nodded at once. "And you," he directed towards Mordred who was still trying to wiggled out of Arthur's iron-clad grip. "You are going to tell me where you and your people are holding the king hostage."

Mordred looked at Merlin. "I'm not telling, Emrys!" he whined. "You of all people should understand."

Merlin rolled his eyes and pushed the boy onward. When the three disappeared up the stairs, I went back down to keep an eye on Morgana; though she was too much in shock to really do anything. She was sitting down on the cold floor. Her dress was making a circle of material around her as she stared blankly at the wall. I rushed down to comfort her.

"Are you alright?" Stupid question, yes, but that was the only thing I could think of at the moment.

"No," she said. It was barely audible. I rubbed her gently on the back, trying to make her feel a bit better. I then got an idea.

"Hey, do you think you would be alright on your own for a minute or two?" I asked, feeling bad about it. She smiled a little.

"Of course,"

"Thank you! Please don't go anywhere while I'm gone. I'm going to come back, I promise." I turned the handle to the door that led to the dragon's cave. I needed answers, even if they were vague ones.

I carefully made my way down the tunnel that was consumed with total darkness. There was a faint light up ahead of me, and I knew that I needed to get there fast. I broke into a run and stumbled over a rock that I hadn't seen. After regaining my equilibrium I was able to make it to the source of the light; the cave. The dragon was nowhere in sight which made me worry that Mordred had succeeded in his plan to free it.

Without warning, the creature swooped onto the giant rock that is in the middle of the cavern. There was hatred in his eyes and a tickle of fear washed through me. A small voice in my head was telling me to, "Run, Jen, if you have _any _sense of self-preservation whatsoever! That creepy dragon dude is going to kill you!"

But I ignored the annoying voice.

"Young Time Traveler," he said in his rough voice. "You are the reason that I am not free right now. What makes you think that I will not burn you to a crisp?" he threatened.

I stood my ground, practically gluing my feet to the floor.

The dragon cocked his head to the side. "I admire your bravery of not running off. For that, I will not kill you."

"Gee, thanks." I said sarcastically. He growled, but I chose to ignore it. "I want to know why this is happening and what am I supposed to do to be able to go home." I demanded. The dragon opened its mighty mouth, but I interrupted. "And I'm not going to stand for this riddle shit that you keep dishing out to me!"

"You are too confident for your own good, Miss. Coldwell." He roared. "How do you know that you are even going to get back home or even fulfill what you have come here to do? The druids are attacking Camelot for a reason. Everything-"

"Happens for a reason," I finished, rolling my eyes. "Yes, I know that!" I snapped.

"Then you shall understand that this is Uther's final day to live. Arthur will rule Camelot and I will be free to get my revenge." His eyes narrowed. "And there is nothing you can do to stop that!" He flapped his great wings and flew so high that I was not able to see him anymore.

I stomped my foot dramatically. "I'm from the future! How do _you_ know that I won't stop it from happening?" I yelled up at him. I sighed and ran back up the dark tunnel, knowing I needed to check up on Morgana.

She was right where I left her; only she was standing up now, facing the stairs. "What is it?" I asked her. She looked at me with a fear stricken face.

"There was a crash outside, and…" Morgana couldn't finish her sentence. "Jen, you need to go check on them." Normally, I wouldn't believe such a direct statement like this, but there was truth in her eyes. I nodded once and ran up the stairs. I saw a Camelot guard knocked out that was dragged behind a statue. I went over to him and took his sword. I might need one in the near future.

I went outside to see how the said crash came about. My face broke into a smile. Arthur was dragging his unconscious father with one of his arms around him. Merlin still has his arm stretched out from the spell he just did. After the smoke cleared from the hut that once had the king in it, I could see that all of the druids in the hut were knocked out cold.

Arthur sat his father down on the castle steps. His clothes were ripped and his armor was scratched profusely. There was a scratch on his left cheek that pretty shallow. He stood up and looked at me, doing a double-take.

I ran over to him as fast as I could, dropping the sword along the way. I jumped into his arms, kissing him passionately on his hard lips. He kissed me back, holding me tight in both hands. My head began to spin and the world was perfect, until:

"Arthur," a weak voice mumbled. We reluctantly stopped kissing and looked at the king that was waking up. I blushed and started to step away when Arthur stopped me.

"I thought I was going to die in that hut if Merlin hadn't saved us. I thought I was never going to see you again." He told me softly. I stood on my toes and kissed him again. Why should I care if the king doesn't approve of me?

Merlin came over to us. "Can you get the king in the castle? I need to use you-know-what to get rid of the druids."

"Oh, right," Arthur said. We helped the king to his feet and I looked over my shoulder to see all of the druids fleeing from Camelot thanks to Merlin. He flashed a smile at me and turned back to his magic.

--

The remaining guards and knights flooded the castle to check for more druids. When they confirmed that the coast was clear, we were allowed back in the castle. They were now checking the town, making sure no one is hiding a druid.

The king was safely in his bed after Gaius gave him a pain killer type potion. The physician was now back in his chambers, and Arthur was inside with the king, talking about who knows what. I paced outside the door. "See, Jen, the dragon wasn't right about Uther, and Mordred wasn't able to execute his plans after all." I said to myself quietly.

I sat up against the wall, thinking about all the adventures I had had here. This place was amazing. Sure, I almost got killed a bunch of times, but I found my Romeo, I found love! I found the man that was responsible for the future, the greatest warlock ever, the brother I never had! Out of all of the vacations that I have been on, this is by far the best one ever. I am going to have so much to write about when I get back to the future.

"_If_ I get back." I muttered. But did I really _want_ to go back? I had to, though. That was where I am supposed to be. If I was supposed to live in the past, wouldn't I have been born in the past?

Arthur came out of the room with a blank expression. "Well?" I asked.

"He is going to live, thanks to Merlin and Gaius." He paused as I breathed a sigh of relief. "He also saw us kissing, and he thinks that you're some servant girl which isn't exactly allowed." A frown appeared on my face, but I understood what he was saying. "Being that as it may, would you like me to escort you to your room, Juliet?"

I looked up at him. He smiled warmly and bowed to me making me giggle. We walked down the hall, arm in arm, until we reached the steps. I stopped in my tracks. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"We need to go see Gaius to make sure you didn't bang your head up too much." I said. He rolled his eyes playfully and we headed in the direction of the court physician's quarters.

When we got there, Gaius and Merlin were alone sitting at the table. The warlock was deep into his magic book, barely looking up when we walked in. Gaius, however, came rushing towards us. He pulled me into a warm hug, scolding me for not going to him right away. I apologized and sat down at the table to join them.

I told Gaius why we were here and he began checking Arthur over, making sure he was in perfect health. "I would prescribe rest, and plenty of it." he informed the prince.

Arthur told me that he was leaving for bed. He offered to walk me to my room, but I told him I was just going to stay here for a while.

"Alright," he said yawning. "Come visit me in the morning. That's an order." He teased. I smiled at him as he left the room.

Just as I sat down, Merlin jumped up in excitement. "I found it!" he exclaimed, acting like a kid in a candy factory.

"Found what?" Gaius asked.

"The way to send Jen home!" he yelled. I could tell that he was proud of himself, but also sad that he even said anything about it.

"That's great, Merlin." Gaius said.

"There's only one problem." He said. I cocked my head. "You have to leave tomorrow, during the eclipse or you won't be able to go back until who knows when." I swallowed. I was going to have to leave Camelot tomorrow night whether I liked it or not.

**A/N: Yes, I know that there is no eclipse, but just pretend! HAHA! Well, I hoped you liked the chapter. Please review! I'm going to try really hard to get the next chapter posted sooner!**


	19. Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow

**A/N: Wow, okay! I promised that I would update soon and here it is! TADA! I really hope you will like it. Thanks to all of you who reviewed, it truly means a lot. There will be one more chapter after this. The next chapter might answer a few of your questions if this one didn't.**

**Warning: A hot, shirtless Arthur will be in here! :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin, only Jen Coldwell.**

I was standing outside Arthur's door. I could hear him walking around in there, but I was hesitant to knock. Today I had to say goodbye to this man who was absolutely perfect for me, and you can imagine that I wasn't in any hurry to do that. My hand moved up and knocked twice. Instantly, I regretted it, scolding my fist.

The door opened to reveal a tall, blonde, and handsome prince that had a radiant smile that touched his beautiful, blue eyes… and he had no shirt on! "Jen, you're here early. Please, come in." he gestured for me to sit down, but I remained standing. He pulled his white shirt on before asking, "Is something wrong?"

I bit my lip. This was it; now or never. That annoying little voice came back into my head. "It's never! Choose never!" I have an annoying conscious.

"Um, I have to talk to you about something." He waited so I continued. "Merlin has found a way to send me back." I said quietly. My arms were folded on my chest. I was wearing my purple pajamas because I was too lazy and nervous about changing out of them after I got up. I didn't even eat. I only walked as slow as I could to Arthur's chambers, and I'm not going to starve without a good reason. I was going to have to tell him.

Arthur did something that I wasn't expecting him to do; he smiled! "That's great, Jen!" he exclaimed and kissed me on the cheek. This time, I didn't blush. There was too much on my mind.

"It is?" I asked.

"Of course, you would have to come back sometime. Or," he paused. "Or, I could come to you. I want to see all of these things you keep telling me about." I smiled at his enthusiasm and began to feel guilty that I was about to crush his good mood. "So when are you leaving? Two months, three months from now, perhaps?" he offered. I shook my head. "Well, then when? A year from now, when?" I stayed quiet, wondering how I was going to tell him. "Is it a year, two, three-?"

"Tonight," I interrupted.

"T-tonight?" he stuttered. He laughed humorlessly once and turned his back to me. Arthur turned to face me again fiercely. "You're leaving tonight?! How did you want me to react to that?" Arthur demanded, yelling in my face. I had been expecting something like this. "How long have you been keeping this from me?"

"I just found out last night after you went to bed." I informed him calmly.

"Can't you stay longer?"

"Arthur, I have to go tonight." I begged with him.

"No, you can't go. Not now, not when everything's over and we can actually spend time together!" he yelled. I took in a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go. I don't want to, but-"

"But nothing," he said. "You have to stay longer, just don't leave tonight."

"Look, I have to go! If I don't go tonight, then I won't be able to go back until years from now." I told him, starting to yell slightly myself.

"So, stay then!"

"I can't!" I yelled back.

He got angry. "I order you to stay."

I was taken aback. "You_ order_ me to stay?" I asked, totally perplexed.

He put his hands up to rub his temple. "No, that's not what I meant. I didn't mean it that way."

I walked closer to him. "Do you know how hard it is for me to leave? I want to stay so badly, to be with you, but I know I can't." he was about to say something, but I continued. "Do you know how hard it is for me to know who you are going to marry? To know what happens to you?" I demanded. "No, you don't, and I can't explain it."

"How do you know that I'm not supposed to marry you?" he asked suddenly. My eyes widened.

"I can already see the chemistry that you have with her. I'm not supposed to even be here." I crossed my arms.

"I could come back with you." He said, hopefully. I shook my head.

He was so perfect! Life isn't fair. "Arthur, don't you understand? If you come with me you will never become king and the future won't exist if you stay too long."

"So were you just leading me on all this time? Because I'm starting to regret even meeting you!" he yelled.

I stumbled back. How could he think that? "What? No, that's ridiculous!"

"Is it? Because I don't think so, Jen." He flopped his arms to his sides. "You know what? Go home. I don't even care anymore." He snapped. My mouth fell open.

"Arthur," I started. He put a hand up to stop me.

"I'm the Crown Prince of Camelot. You will address me as such. Now, go, that _is _an order." He sat down at his table and began looking over battle plans.

I walked out into the hall and closed the door behind me. A tear trickled down my cheek, followed by my legs giving way. I fell on the floor and wiped my tears, trying to get a grip. There was a huge crash inside _Prince_ Arthur's chambers. I heard a lot of profound words following that crash and I hurried away from the room before I attracted attention.

When I got back to Gaius' chambers, I was crying my eyes out. Merlin was nowhere in sight but the physician was there. He got up immediately and came over to hug me. I cried into his shoulder, feeling like a little kid. He patted me on the back, trying to calm me.

"I'm guessing he didn't take it too well." He whispered.

"Not at all," I confirmed. He stepped back and I wiped my eyes off. "Can I stay here for a while, Gaius?"

The old man smiled. "Of course," I sat down at the table. "Things are going to be a lot different around here with you gone. You certainly lifted Merlin's spirits. He thinks of you as a sister, you know?" I smiled. He was making me not want to leave even more. The butterflies in my stomach got bigger. I kicked the leg of the table on accident, and pain shot up through my right ankle. I squeaked in pain. Gaius walked over to look at my ankle. "That's a deep cut. How come you hadn't felt it before?"

I shrugged. "It probably took the adrenalin a while to get out of my system or something." He bandaged it up, putting some sort of goo on the bandage first. He said it would ease the pain and quicken the healing process. I thanked him. Gaius had to go out and make his rounds.

I was alone, and I was okay with that. Merlin's magic book was still where he left it, so I picked it up and began looking at the pictures. I quickly got a headache, so I went looking for a good book that Gaius had. There was one about prophesies. It looked interesting-and it was in English- and as a result, I decided to read it.

Hours passed by until Merlin came back inside the room. I looked out the window. It wasn't dark yet.

Thank goodness.

"How was work?" I asked as he came to join me.

There was a frown on his face. "Strange." He said simply. "Arthur gave me a whole bunch of weird jobs to do, and then when I told him I was leaving he started to yell at me. 'You're taking Jen away from me! How could you do this to me? I'm sorry I ever found out your secret!' Things like that." He finished with a bad impression of the prince.

The two of us talked about Arthur's reactions mostly. My eyes were dropping, probably from lack of food, but I ignored by stomach. I wasn't up to eating. Gaius came home a while later with a patient that was suffering from a cold. Although, Gaius didn't know that, I told the man what to do. The physician was very impressed by my 'outstanding knowledge of medicine' I think he called it.

My eyes fluttered open. Looking out the window, I saw that it was dark! I sat up quickly, panicking. Merlin looked at me, smiling. "You fell asleep. I didn't want to wake you. Oh, and don't worry, you didn't miss the eclipse." He reassured me.

"How long until then?" I asked.

"I'd say thirty minutes."

I got an idea. I didn't want Arthur to have trouble moving on after I left. He was supposed to go on and marry Gwen, to have kids, and to die at the hands of Mordred…

Anyway, he needed to go on with life without me, just like I have to do the same with him. I had an idea, but it might not even be possible, or Merlin just won't do it. I needed to ask quickly.

"Is there a spell to erase someone from a person's memory?" I asked.

He nodded. "I figured you might ask that." He opened his book and turned to the page he was looking for. "This spell will erase you from his memories. He will still remember the events that happened, but in a form that is molded so that you had nothing to do with it. Understand?"

I nodded. "But does that mean that he won't remember that you have magic?" I asked.

"That's right, he won't remember that. He also won't remember that he went to the druids' camp to find you. I told Lancelot to leave because I thought you might want to do this. Arthur won't know why Lancelot was here, so I needed to take precautions." He finished.

"I don't want to do it if he won't remember your secret." I insisted.

Merlin shook his head with a humorless smile. "No, I think it might be best that he doesn't know about that. It's not time, I don't think." I took in a deep breath. "Do you want to do it?" I nodded. "Alright," Merlin held out both of his hands, looking at the book, then up at me. "This is your last chance to change your mind, Jen. This spell can't be reversed." He informed me. I closed my eyes and nodded again. "Okay," he confirmed and began saying the spell.

"_Ekam mih ton rebmemer Jennifer Coldwell. Odnu sih seiromem, eht seriomem fo Arthur Pendragon."_

The castle shook a bit and a light appeared above Merlin before blowing up into a thousand pieces. I think it worked.

"Do you want to see if it didn't backfire?" he asked.

"Sure," We both walked quickly to Arthur's chambers. Merlin knocked on the door. Arthur opened the door with an annoyed look on his face.

"What is it, Merlin?" he huffed. Then he saw me. I smiled awkwardly. "Who is this?" he asked, truly not knowing. There was the answer. He didn't remember me, after all we went through he didn't remember me. Merlin's spell had worked for the best… I hope.

"Oh, nothing, sorry to disturb you, sire." Merlin bowed his head as I did the same. Arthur rolled his eyes and shut the door. "It definitely worked." Merlin mumbled.

"Yes, it worked." I sighed.

"We need to get going. The eclipse is almost here." He started pulling me along. "We need to be where you were when you arrived." The two of us began running. He led the way, knowing where he found me. Where we ended up was at the edge of the forest, right by a small river. "Now, stand right here." He pointed to where a rock was.

I obeyed and walked over to the rock. Merlin looked up at the sky, then back at me. He smiled and came over to pull me into a hug. "I'll miss you, Jen. Here," he handed me something that was once in his jacket pocket. It was the paper I had written on about what happened here.

"Thank you, Merlin. I'm going to miss you so much!" I felt the urge to tell him about everything about what would happen to him, to the prince, to Camelot, but I held my tongue and instead said, "Take care of yourself and Arthur."

"I will," he said. The eclipse was starting and Merlin stepped back. He held out his hand and recited the spell. I couldn't hear what he was saying for a tornado formed around me, the wind blowing so hard it was picking up dust from the ground, making it hard to see.

The last thing I saw of Camelot was a bright red scarf blowing hard on Merlin's neck.

**A/N: I hoped you guys enjoyed! Oh, the spell; just read it from right to left, only read the words backwards other than Jennifer Coldwell and Arthur Pendragon, because those aren't scrambled up… as you already knew…**

**Yeah**

**Well please review! It makes my day!**


	20. Jenny In Wonderland

**A/N: Hello, all! This is the final chapter is this story, I'm sorry to announce. I made it a bit long, kind of as a wave goodbye to this story. I hope that all of you will like this! I'm not quite sure about the ending, so I might redo it. Please tell me what you think!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the TV show Merlin.**

**Merlin: What's a TV show?**

**Writing-at-random: *laughs* Oh, just another future thing.**

**Merlin: So does it have something to do with that telesession thingy?**

**Writing-at-random: Ha-ha! Yes it does, now I think the people want to read the chapter instead of this incredibly long disclaimer.**

**Merlin: You're right. Wait, so there's a TV show about me? How is that possible?**

**Writing-at-random: Please read while I take care of a very confused warlock! Come one, Merlin!**

My eyes fluttered open. The sun was seeping in through the curtains on the window. It was quiet except for small footfalls in the room. I was looking at the ceiling, thinking about nothing in particular. Confusion swept over me when I realized that Merlin had just sent me home from Camelot. Had it worked? I sat up to see Sarah putting on her makeup, not noticing that I was awake. Her books were organized on her unmade bed.

"Jenny," she said excitedly as she turned around to see me sitting up on my bed. "You know, you need to get up. We are going to be late for class, and personally I don't want to be!" Sarah put her hands on her hips. Her blonde hair was pulled into a ponytail that swung in every direction with every move she made. "Jen, you know that Warren hates when people aren't there on time." When I just sat there looking confused, she got concerned. "Is everything alright?"

I bit my lip. "Was I really here in bed the whole time?"

Sarah laughed. "Um, yeah, of course you were! Where else would you be, Wonderland?" I laughed slightly, too.

"No, it's just that I had… a weird dream. It felt so real." I admitted. "There was so much action and drama that I could have sworn I really lived it." Sarah giggled and came over to sit on my bed with me.

"Oh, _Alice_, don't tell me you fell asleep reading that Camelot book? You know what happened to Alice." She teased. I laughed and nodded. "Well, I have to get to class early. The last essay that he assigned didn't make any sense to me and I need to talk to Professor Warren." She grabbed her books and opened the door. "See you in a few." The door closed leaving me alone and confused.

"It was just a dream." I told myself. I laughed at myself for thinking that I actually went to Camelot. That's totally ridiculous! If I'd have stayed in Camelot for that long of time, then I would have been considered dead or kidnapped here. Neither of which I am. There is no way in the world I had gone back in time. After pinching myself to make sure I was fully awake, I got up.

Pain shot through my ankle.

I sat back down and pulled up my pajama bottoms to reveal my ankle that was expertly bandaged. No, that couldn't be right. I cut my ankle… in…Camelot. My head was spinning. I looked over at my bedside table. There was parchment that I had written on in Camelot sitting neatly next to my lamp. I thumbed through the words until I found something scribed on another piece of paper that I hadn't noticed before. It read:

_Jen, I hope you got home OK, because if you didn't then I either messed up the spell, or we changed too much when you were here. I hope that you can read this. I magically sent it to you after you left. I don't know if it worked though, seeing as you won't be able to tell me. Gaius misses you and so do I. Don't worry, I told Morgana and Gwen to not talk about you in front of Arthur. He still doesn't remember anything, so the spell did its job. He is grumpier than he was with you here. Arthur keeps reminding me that I suck when it comes to sword fighting. He obviously doesn't remember that I'm the warlock and can overpower him in a second or even less. Speaking of magic, I hope I didn't send you to some period that isn't your time, just sometime in our future… If that made sense._

_Well, I would write more to you, but Arthur is yelling at me for writing 'love letters.' Best of wishes,_

_Your Friend and the Real Merlin,_

_Merlin_

I read the letter at least five times before I could comprehend it correctly. So, I had been to Camelot after all, and Merlin had helped me go home. It wasn't really a dream and I wasn't just another Alice. I had really been to Wonder… I mean Camelot. Wow, Sarah's liking of _Alice in Wonderland_ is really getting to my head. Plus, best of all, I'm not mad!

Being careful with my injured ankle, I got up and got dressed in my favorite blue jeans and a red T-shirt. I grabbed my brown jacket, my books, and headed out. My first class today was Mythology. It was my best class. We learned everything from the oldest legends to record, to Bigfoot's recent sightings.

I finally got in class and took my normal seat next to Sarah. Everyone got out there books and turned to page 394. Professor Warren was standing at the front of the class, setting up the projector. When he got it working a presentation appeared on the wall. There was a picture of a young boy trying to pull a sword out of a stone with people watching him. The boy was no older than ten or twelve.

"Today," Warren started. "We are going to be learning about the Legend of King Arthur, the stories of Camelot, and the fable of the wizard, Merlin."

Sarah elbowed me softly. "This should be right up your alley." She whispered with a smile. I smiled meekly.

"Now, we are going to start off with theories. What I'm talking about are theories of who Arthur really was, if there really was a Merlin, what actually happened between Guinevere and Lancelot. Would anyone care to offer your own theory or one you have heard?" he asked. "Cal, why don't you start us out?"

Cal laughed. "The dude pulled a sword out of a rock and they named him king."

Warren didn't find this humorous. "Thank you for your unique insight, Mr. Hackly." He said sarcastically. "Anyone else want to try? Marissa, please give us something a little more enlightening than Cal."

"Well, some say that Guinevere loved Lancelot before she met Arthur." She said. "But others say that she loved Arthur and then later on fell in love with Lancelot." Marissa concluded. I was doodling in the margins of my notebook, knowing that I should know the answer to that theory. I mean, I was there after all. I met both Gwen _and_ Lancelot _and_ Arthur!

"Jen," the professor called, bringing me back to reality. I closed my notebook slowly. "Why don't you share your theory?" I could tell that it wasn't a request.

"Well, most people when they think of King Arthur, they think of him pulling a sword out of the stone at about ten years of age. Ten is a very young age to be king, so is it possible that Uther, his father, was still king when Arthur was that age?" I asked. The professor cocked his head.

"Please, continue."

I nodded. "If Arthur wasn't king at ten, then it's possible that he wasn't king even at age twenty. In the legend Arthur knew that Merlin was a wizard. For all we know, Merlin and Arthur could have been the same age, which might mean that Arthur didn't know about Merlin's secret." I said, not wanting to give away everything I knew.

Warren seemed to like my unexpected theory. He smiled and turned his attention back to the class. "Now _that_ is what I'm talking about, people! Broaden your theories, open your minds." He changed the slide to show a new assignment. A moan erupted from the class.

"The previous assignment is due Friday. This assignment is going to be due in three weeks which is on a Wednesday!" There was another moan before he continued. "I hope that you all have a theory in mind, because I want you to write a story supporting your theory. It needs characters, plots, things that a story must have." He said. "I know that some of you aren't writers and don't write at all, even to do homework." He glared at Cal. "So this story must be _at least_ five hundred words. Your stories can be as long as you want as long as they are complete and will be on my desk on Wednesday morning." People started to whisper about the newest assignment, wanting ideas and plot bunnies. "Quiet down! Now, on to the next slide…"

--

My school day was over and thankfully, Sarah's wasn't. I walked briskly back to my dorm room, in a huge hurry to reread my writings. Just to my luck, I dropped my books when I was reaching for my keys that were in my purse. I moaned and bent down to pick up my notes that had fallen out of my books before they blew away in the wind.

Someone stopped in front of me. I looked up to see the quarterback of the football team standing over me. For a moment I thought that he was going to help me pick up my stuff. How silly of me! Of course not! Why would he do that?!

"Uh, you might want to move your stuff out of the hall." He snapped and walked right on top of my notes, leaving a muddy footprint in his wake. I groaned.

"Welcome back, Jen, to the world where most men don't even know the meaning of the word 'chivalry.'" I said to myself. After I picked up everything and stuffed them back into the correct books, I opened my door and threw everything on my bed. I wanted to get to my Camelot diary. I had this assignment in the bag, as long as I get time to work on it that is!

I read and reread and even re-reread everything. Memories, good and bad, came flooding back into my mind; my dangerous encounter with the druids, my forbidden romance, everything that happened was so vivid in my thoughts it's as though it could have only happened a few hours ago. I needed to take advantage of this moment of which I remembered all the things that happened. And so I began writing.

_It was getting dark outside of my dorm room. All my homework was finished and there was nothing left to do. Being bored I decided to pick up a book…_

--

_Back in Camelot… (Three weeks later, but what seems like years to poor Merlin)_

"Merlin," the prince shouted from his bed. The overworked warlock came in to meet Arthur's newest whim. Gods, did he miss Jen! He was always nicer around her. Things had become very strange ever since she left to go back home. It seemed to quiet down in a bad way. Sure, he still had to protect Arthur from creatures, druids, evil sorcerers, and even the man's own ignorance, but the atmosphere around Merlin's world seemed to be tenser than it was when she was here.

"Yes, sire." He addressed. Arthur sat up in bed, looking lost about something.

"You are going to laugh when I tell you this, seeing as you don't even know the blade from the hilt when it comes to swords," There was that daily insult! "But I had the weirdest dream last night." He laughed once with a dorky smile across his face. "Although, I know that it was a dream, because if it was real you would be dead." Arthur stretched his arms up into the air.

A worried look crossed Merlin's face. He had to stay calm. The spell hadn't worn off, because, well, _it can't_! "Why? What was it about?" he asked before Arthur could get the chance to scold him for not asking.

Arthur looked off into the distance, a grin appearing on his hard features. "There was this girl." Merlin's heart was pounding. The prince continued. "She was unlike any other girl I'd ever met. I can't remember her name, though."

"Great," Merlin sighed, trying to calm himself. "You're falling in love with a girl you met in your dreams who doesn't even have a name!" he teased. "Some would say that's going mad." Arthur threw a pillow at him that hit him square in the side of his head as Merlin was setting down the prince's breakfast.

"I never said that, you idiot! Now, pick up my pillow!" But the more Arthur thought about the unknown girl, the more she started to turn into a real person. He could hear her laugh as if she was standing right next to him. He could remember looking into her crystal blue eyes during his dream. They were beautiful; she was beautiful to him in every way. He even admired her attitude. This girl didn't treat him like a prince, but like a real person. And Merlin was there, too. She had this secret that he couldn't remember, but so did Merlin. He had… No, that's not possible.

"Do you want me to warm up your breakfast, because it's going to get cold if you stay in your little fantasy world?" Merlin put his hands on his hips, waiting for a response.

Normally, Arthur would have joined in on their banter, but instead answered, "Yes, I'm going to go on the balcony for a minute." He got up and walked out to look at the people bellow.

Merlin was shocked by his answer but looked down at the food. It was getting rather cold. When he was sure that Arthur was not looking, he put his hand over the food. "_Mraw pu_" he muttered. His eyes flashed gold and the food glowed for a minute. Steam began to rise from the food, so he stopped warming it up. He wished he had that mickeywave or mirowave or whatever Jen had that warmed stuff up quickly.

Arthur walked back inside. He saw the steam and pointed at the dish of delicious food. "How did you get that food _that_ warm so quickly?"

Merlin looked from the plate to Arthur. "I slipped it in the fire." He said calmly.

Arthur frowned. "Merlin, the fire isn't even lit." The warlock glanced over at the hearth, at a loss for words. "Is there something you're keeping from me?" he asked. Merlin shook his head, knowing that if he said anything he would fail miserably at lying. It's best to stay with smiling and nodding… or shaking in this case.

"Merlin, it's obvious that you are." He said, damaging Merlin's ego. Arthur cocked his head and squinted at his manservant. "You know who the girl is, don't you?" Then something dawned on him. "Gods, it wasn't a dream!"

--

_Back To the Future… (Three weeks later, but what felt like an eternity to Jen)_

"Jen, this is exceptional work!" my Mythology professor exclaimed. He had held me after class, wanting to talk to me about my story/essay/homework assignment. Warren had my story in his hands, smiling really wide. "I mean, the thought of Merlin having this secret in a kingdom that says magic is illegal, it's epic. And then you have Guinevere being kidnapped by the druids and the whole battle back at the castle." He laughed. Yes, I had made a few adjustments so that I wasn't in the picture. I still thought that Arthur and Gwen were going to end up together; at least I hoped they would if Lancelot doesn't get involved. I had decided not to go with the version that I had started on-the one with me in it- because I thought that it might be a bit too much.

"Although, I thought that the dragon was a little farfetched." He said giving me that so-so gesture with his hand. "I was able to picture him quiet clearly. You described it so well that it was almost as if you were there!" I smiled.

"Well, I was there. I wished that I could go and I did! I met Arthur and Merlin and all f those people." I said. My professor burst out laughing.

"Jennifer, did you know that your name actually originated from the name 'Guinevere?'" he asked with a wider smile. My breath caught.

"W-what?" I asked, my mouth opening and closing.

Warren laughed. "Yeah, perhaps you're Arthur's Guinevere." He teased and handed me my story back. There was a huge A+ written in red Sharpie. Normally I would have been ecstatic about this great grade, but I didn't know what to say.

Arthur's words echoed in my head. _"How do you know that I'm not supposed to marry you?"_

"Perhaps," I whispered, talking to both my professor and to Arthur. I grabbed my story out of his hands and walked off without another word. And just when I thought all of my drama was over…

**A/N: THE END!!!**

**I learned that Jennifer originated from Guinevere from ! I give credit to her!**

**I hope you enjoyed the final chapter. I'm thinking about a sequel, but I have no idea what to do for it. Suggestions would be quite welcome! Could you please review this one? It would mean a lot!**

**Thank you all for your wonderful support!**


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